MALIBU, Calif. – Chicago State baseball opened a four-game weekend series Friday at 17th–ranked Pepperdine at Eddy D. Field Stadium in the first-ever meeting between the two schools, but the Waves captured a 13-4 victory on a surprisingly cool afternoon in Malibu, Calif. Pepperdine hiked its season record to 14-5 and the Cougars fell to 1-19 on the year.
Both teams went scoreless through four and a half innings as CSU red-shirt freshman Albert Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (Whiting, Ind.) and Pepperdine senior Nate Newman battled in a pitcher's duel before the Waves scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth that included an three-run double down the left field line by Trent Dietrich to post a 5-0 lead.
A two-run home run to left center by Trent Jacoby off Carpen highlighted a three-run rally in the fifth inning to increase the home team's advantage to 8-0.
The Cougars scored four runs in the top of the sixth with RBI singles from freshman William Hill (Wheaton, Ill./Glenbard South) (Wheaton, Ill.), sophomore Michael Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (Whiting, Ind.) and junior Austin McDowell (Coal City, IL/Olney Central College) (Coal City, Ill.) to slice Pepperdine's leading margin to 8-4, but the Waves added a run in the bottom of the sixth when Jacoby hit an RBI sacrifice fly to center field that scored junior Colin Rooney, who led off the inning with a single, from third base that hiked their advantage at 9-4.
A two-run double by Cody Yount and a two-RBI since single from Nate Simon was part of a four-run seventh inning as Pepperdine increased its lead to 13-4/provided the final margin.
The Waves were led by David Harris, who went 3-for-4 at the plate and scored a pair of runs, while Dietrich hit 2-for-4 with three runs batted in. Newman (3-1) earned the win which included posting 11 strikeouts and walked four in addition to allowing four runs (none earned) on six hits in six innings of work.
Senior Kellon McFarlin (Chicago, IL/Meramec CC) (Chicago, Ill.) led Chicago State with a 2-for-4 day offensively and senior Patrick Hernandez (Romeoville, IL/Triton CC) (Romeoville, Ill.) went 2-for-5 with a run scored. Albert Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (0-2) took the loss after giving up eight runs (three earned) on 12 hits and recorded a strikeout in four and two-thirds innings thrown.
The Cougars and the Waves will continue the weekend series Saturday morning in a doubleheader with a start time of 10 a.m., Pacific Time.
~CSU~
