Tidal Wave of Runs Levels Pepperdine

Pepperdine suffered its most one-sided loss of the baseball season Friday, falling to Loyola Marymount, 19-5, in Game 1 of the West Coast Conference Championship Series at Loyola Marymount.

The result was skewed by seldom-used relievers Stephen Correa and Greg Ramirez allowing eight runs, six unearned, over the final 2 1/3 innings as Coach Frank Sanchez opted to save his better relievers for later in the series.

“The guys we brought in couldn’t hold them and it just snowballed,” said Sanchez, whose team’s previous worst loss this season was a 15-4 setback to California Feb. 19.

Game 2 of the best-of-three series is scheduled for 1 p.m. today at Loyola Marymount. A third game, if necessary, would be played at 1 p.m. Sunday at Loyola Marymount.

The series winner qualifies for the NCAA tournament.

The Lions (38-17) finished with 23 hits, three off the school record. Each starter had at least one hit.

Scott Walter hit two three-run home runs and tied a school record by driving in eight runs.

David Maffei and Jeff Walker also homered.

Anthony Angel hit safely in his first five at-bats, doubling twice and driving in three runs. He missed a chance at tying the school single-game hit record when he struck out against Ramirez in the eighth inning.

Pepperdine (36-22) led, 3-1, after two innings. The Waves scored in the first without a hit. Leadoff hitter Austin Evans walked, went to second on pitcher Billy Traber’s wild pickoff throw, moved to third on Danny Garcia’s ground out and scored on Traber’s wild pitch.

Pepperdine combined a passed ball on a strikeout, a walk, a wild pitch and singles by Simon Ferrer and Evans for two runs in the second.

“I just didn’t have my stuff,” Traber said of the first two innings. “I just wasn’t getting it done. It was a good thing they came up with some huge plays behind me or it could have gotten worse.”

Traber (9-4) allowed only two hits and did not permit a runner past second over the next five innings. The junior left-hander struck out eight in eight innings, increasing his season total to 143, breaking the school record of 139 set by the late Tim Layana in 1986.

Daniel Haren (8-5) of Pepperdine allowed seven runs, all earned, over the first five innings.

Steve Schenewerk relieved him to start the sixth but couldn’t stop the onslaught by s Loyola Marymount, which scored 15 unanswered runs.

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MASTER’S WINS

Josh Higgins’ three-hitter and Kurt Fillmore’s RBI single beat Albertson, 3-2. Page 14