MALIBU, Calif. — Pepperdine second baseman Joe Sever had done everything all game for the Waves. But as he ran toward home plate in the bottom of the tenth inning Sunday afternoon, the only thing he could do is hope for a booted ball or an errant throw.
With Tony Cooper on first base and Sever on third with one out in the tenth, Sam Meyer ht a grounder to second base. Instead of the error Sever hoped for, Portland’s Cody Lenahan started the tailor-made 4-6-3 double play to end the game and give the Pilots a 4-3, extra-inning victory at Eddy D. Field Stadium.
The Pilots (20-10, 7-5) avoided the sweep by bouncing back after Sever tied the game in the eighth inning. In the ninth, Pepperdine’s Matt Gelalich had a two-out double, but Zach Vincej lined out to end the inning.
Portland then went on the offensive in extra innings. Chet Thompson led off with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice. After an intentional walk, the Pilots tried to squeeze home a run, but Eric Karch came off the mound and made an accurate flip to the plate to nail the runner. But the very next pitch, Lenahan singled to centerfield and Turner Gill beat Gelalich’s throw, sliding in just before Miles Silverstein’s tag.
After Sever singled and advanced to third on Cooper’s perfect hit-and-run, Meyer’s double play groundout ended the game.
Sever finished the game a pristine 4-for-4 with a walk. Meyer, on the other hand, was 0-for-5 with six runners left on base.
The Pilots were the first on the board after Caleb Whalen’s RBI single in the third inning. Portland added two runs in the fifth inning when Whalen slammed a homer over the fence in left-centerfield fence.
Pepperdine (22-14, 5-4) responded in the bottom of the fifth. With the bases loaded, Sever went down and golfed a ball into left-centerfield, scoring two runs. But after a walk re-loaded the bases, Meyer flew out to end the threat.
Pepperdine tied the game in the eighth inning when Sever singled to right field and advanced to second on a sacrifice by Cooper. Sever then stole third base and the throw from the catcher sailed into the outfield, allowing Sever to score easily.
Kody Watts picked up the win in relief for the Pilots despite allowing Sever’s eighth inning run. Owen Jones (pictured at top) pitched the tenth inning to pick up his 12th save of the season. Karch took the loss to fall to 2-2.
Check out the full photo gallery from Sunday afternoon’s Pepperdine/Portland matchup below:
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