MALIBU, Calif. --- Portland sophomore starter Kyle Kraus picks up his eighth straight win, senior C.J. Cullen collects four hits and the Pilots’ impressive run through the West Coast Conference continues with an 8-4 win over the Pepperdine Waves at Eddy D. Field Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Portland, which defeated the Waves 8-6 yesterday, claims its fourth straight conference series and will go after its third sweep tomorrow.
It’s the sixth consecutive win for the Pilots, who improve to 26-9 on the season and to 10-1 in the WCC. The 26 wins are one more than last year’s season total, and it’s the most wins ever for head coach Chris Sperry, who is in his 13th year at the helm of the Pilots.
Kraus, a right-hander, tossed 8.2 innings on Saturday and improves to a perfect 8-0 this spring. The eight wins lead the conference and are tied for third most in a single season by a Portland pitcher. The all-time high is 10 victories, set by Ted Devore in 1989.
Kraus struck out six Waves, scattered nine hits and didn’t walk a batter, while allowing the four runs. The West Linn, Ore., native has not issued a walk during his last 18.1 innings of work.
Portland closer Chris Dennis spelled Kraus with two on and two outs in the top of the ninth inning after Pepperdine had plated a pair to pull within four runs. Dennis calmly ended the game by getting Colin Rooney to pop out to second base for his second save in as many days. His 11 saves on the year are already a program single-season record and he has now tied John Nichols for the program’s career mark. Dennis, a junior right-hander, is in his first season at UP after transferring in from Edmonds CC.
It’s the third four-hit game this season for Cullen, who also knocked in two runs and scored once. Freshman OF Nick Armenta went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, while sophomore 3B Matt Mardesich belted a home run for the second straight game, giving him five on the year.
Pepperdine drops to 13-21 and to 3-4 in the WCC. Cole Cook (2-5) gets the loss and was followed by three Pepperdine relievers. Cook was charged with four runs, two earned, in 7.0 innings. He allowed eight hits, struck out nine and walked one. Reliever Ricky Villarreal also allowed four runs, while not recording an out.
After the Waves had opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the third inning, the Pilots scored their first run in the top of the fourth when Cullen raced home on a wild pitch, tying it at 1-1.
The Pilots then gave themselves a little breathing room with three runs in the top of the seventh inning and four more in the top of the eighth. Mardesich led off the seventh with his solo blast, Cullen then knocked in a run on a fielder’s choice and sophomore C Beau Fraser made it a 4-1 game with a sacrifice fly.
In the eighth, Armenta hit a bases-loaded single through the right side that scored junior 2B Riley Henricks. Sophomore SS Kris Kauppila then forced in a run by drawing a bases-loaded walk, as did the next batter, Kevin Armijo. Cullen then capped the scoring for UP with an RBI single that made it a comfortable 8-1 game.
The Waves scored one in the bottom of the eighth before their two-run ninth.
The Pilots outhit the Waves 12-9.
Portland, which has already swept conference foes Santa Clara and LMU this season, will look to win its third straight against Pepperdine on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
