Box Score
PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland senior Chase Powell drilled a go-ahead, three-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Pilots a 5-4 comeback victory over the Pepperdine Waves on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon at Joe Etzel Field. UP closer Zach Varce then struck out the game’s final two hitters with the tying run on second base in the top of the ninth.
Varce picks up his eighth save of the year as the Pilots move back above the .500 mark at 23-22 (6-11 WCC). Pepperdine drops to 26-22 overall and to 8-9 in the West Coast Conference. It’s the first win for Portland over Pepperdine since 2003, a string of 16 straight victories by the Waves.
The Pilot bats were silent for most of the day as Pepperdine starter Cole Cook was cruising. But Cook was lifted in the bottom of the eighth inning after surrendering a lead-off double to freshman SS Kris Kauppila, who advanced to third base on a fly out by sophomore OF Kyle Haskin.
The Waves turned to their closer Nick Gaudi (3-3), who entered the game with a league-leading nine saves on the season, to protect the 4-2 Pepperdine lead. Gaudi retired Portland 2B Riley Henricks on strikes before walking senior OF Bryant Kraus.
Powell, who just missed leaving the yard his previous time up, then smoked a 1-1 fastball to straight-away center field to give the Pilots their first lead of the series at 5-4. Gaudi followed the Powell homer by striking out senior 1B Cort Carpenter.
Varce then entered the game and promptly gave up a lead-off single to Bryce Mendonca, who advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt. But Varce would compose himself with the heart of the Pepperdine line-up coming up. The sophomore right-hander retired Ryan Heroy and Nate Simon, Pepperdine’s No 3 and No. 4 hitters, with strikeouts to preserve the win.
Portland starter Scott Burris (5-3), a sophomore left-hander, was masterful. Burris worked 8.0 innings and didn’t allow a Pepperdine run following a two-run fourth inning. Only two of the four runs Burris allowed were earned. He scattered eight hits, while striking out three.
Cook gave up just four hits and three runs in 7.1 innings. He struck out six and walked one.
The Pilots fell into an early 2-0 hole after the Waves scored a run during both the first and second innings. Portland got on the scoreboard with a tally in the bottom of the third inning on a sacrifice fly to center field by Haskin.
The Waves added two more runs without getting a hit in the top of the fourth inning to claim a 4-1 lead. Both runs were unearned after a costly UP error.
Portland cut the lead in half when sophomore 3B Matt Mardesich tagged his first career home run in the bottom of the seventh inning. The homer, a solo blast that easily cleared the scoreboard beyond the left field fence, came with two outs and pulled the Pilots within 4-2.
Mardesich had two of Portland’s five hits, while the Waves finished with nine hits.
Pepperdine won the first game of the three-game series 14-9 on Friday to set up Sunday’s rubber match at 1:00 p.m. at Joe Etzel Field.
