MALIBU, Calif. — Sophomore Tanner Murray finished 2-for-4 at the plate with a pair of RBI to lead the Aggie offense, but a season-high 15-run effort by the Waves would be enough to clinch the series as host Pepperdine rolled to a 15-3 victory on Saturday afternoon at Eddy D. Field Stadium.

The Aggies slip to 6-7 overall on the season and will look to bounce back in the series finale tomorrow (Mar. 10) with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. Pepperdine moved to a 5-6 mark on the year.

Senior Blake Hannah (1-2) suffered the loss for the Aggies after allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits and striking out a pair over three innings. Easton Lucas (1-2) turned in another impressive performance by the Pepperdine pitching staff, allowing just one run on four hits and striking out three over six innings of work.

After taking a quick 1-0 lead in the first Pepperdine jumped out to a 5-0 advantage in the third notching four runs on four hits, which included a 2-RBI double by Cory Wills.  

The Waves added to their cause over the next two innings scoring a combined five runs on five hits while taking advantage of a UC Davis error in the fifth, which was later followed by a wild pitch, three consecutive walks, and a hit batter to bring across three unearned scores before the end of the inning. 

The Aggies got on the board in the visitor half of the sixth after Murray's sixth double of the season plated sophomore Kyler Arenado, who led off the inning with a drawn walk. 

Pinch hitter Colton Evans scored on a wild pitch in the seventh before UC Davis pulled another run back in the eighth as Murray drove in senior Garret Kelly who doubled down the left field line and advanced an extra 90 feet on a misplay by the Pepperdine defense. 

But the deficit would prove too much to overcome for the Aggies, resulting in a 15-3 win for Pepperdine. 

Murray led the Aggies with his seventh multi-hit performance of the year and extended his hitting streak to seven games. 

The series finale is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday (Mar. 10) at Eddy D. Field Stadium. 

Following the conclusion of tomorrow's game UC Davis returns home for a pair of mid-week meetings, first on the road at Sacramento State (Mar. 12), then at Phil Swimley Field as the Aggies host Pacific on Wednesday (Mar. 13) beginning at 2:30 p.m. 


ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation, according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.

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