Pepperdine Provides Plenty of Action, but No Victory

It appears Pepperdine will not be at a loss for entertainment under new Coach Frank Sanchez.

As for avoiding a loss on the scoreboard, not so fast. Nevada defeated the Waves, 8-6, Friday in a rollicking three-hour 17-minute opener at Pepperdine.

The game featured wild pitches, errors, passed balls, home runs and sloppy baserunning--all the fun-to-watch elements seldom seen last season when Pepperdine snoozed its way to a 33-19 record behind solid defense and ho-hum hitting.

The Waves fell behind early, came back, fell behind again, and rallied once more only to fall short just as the sun set.

“I’m positive we’ll battle better than we did last year,” left fielder Josh Oder said. “We’re way more intense. It’s a whole different atmosphere.”

Sanchez, a former USC assistant, cracked the whip throughout, snapping at umpires and exhorting his team. Not until pinch-hitter Steve Zorn flew out with the tying runs on base did the noise end.

“Our approach was good,” Sanchez said. “There were mistakes, the kind of things that happen when you lose.”

Nevada snapped a 4-4 tie in the seventh on a three-run home run by Andy Dominique against reliever John Workman. Pepperdine came back with a run in the bottom of the inning, but Nevada scored again in the eighth to take an 8-5 lead.

Pepperdine rallied in the ninth when Oder, who reached base four times and scored three runs, walked and David Matranga followed with his third hit. Randy Wolf grounded into a double play, driving in Oder, but a walk to Tyler Ferrer and single by Mark Lopez kept the Waves alive until Zorn flew to left on the first pitch he saw.

Dominique, a third baseman from Alemany High, opened the scoring with a two-run shot to center against Wolf in the first inning. However, it was Dominique’s throwing error with two out in the fourth that allowed two Pepperdine runs to score.

Dominique normally plays catcher, but with two Nevada third basemen injured, he made the switch. As a senior and the Wolfpack’s leading returning hitter (.355, 17 home runs), he enjoyed kick-starting his team.

“I’m trying to do the job they expect from me,” he said. “I can lead, but I expect it from everyone else too.”

Wolf pitched five innings and left the mound with a 4-3 lead, but a home run by Tim Hanna against freshman reliever Steve Schenewerk tied the score in the sixth.