UCLA Edged at Pepperdine, 8-7

Tuesday, April 11

Malibu, CA

3:00 PM

UCLA

19-9-1

Pepperdine

11-19

UCLA

Pepperdine

Kyle Karros (photo: Ross Turteltaub)

Photo by: Ross Turteltaub

UCLA Edged at Pepperdine, 8-7

April 11, 2023 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

MALIBU, Calif. – Despite totaling 15 hits as a team, No. 19 UCLA absorbed an 8-7 loss to Pepperdine on Tuesday afternoon at Eddy D. Field Stadium.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first, the Bruins (19-9-1) fought back to tie the game on four separate occasions.

However, the Waves (11-19) responded in the bottom half every time UCLA tied it up, including a walk-off base hit from Charles Masino in the bottom of the ninth.

Four different Bruins recorded multiple hits on Tuesday, with sophomore center fielder Malakhi Knight (4-5, three RBIs) and senior DH Josh Hahn (3-5, two runs) setting or matching career-highs for single-game hits. Sophomore shortstop Cody Schrier (2-5, three runs) and senior catcher Darius Perry (3-4, RBI) also had big days with the bats.

The Bruins' 15 hits were their second-most in a game so far this season, trailing only the 20 knocks against Omaha on Feb. 18.

Knight was at the center of the Bruins' first two comeback rallies, shooting a pair of base hits to right field to drive in runs. His third-inning knock scored Schrier to make it 1-1, and he brought in two more in the fifth as part of a UCLA three-spot.

Schrier teed off on a hanging curveball to tie the game up in the sixth, sending a solo shot over the left field wall to make it 6-6.

UCLA later plated a single run apiece in the eighth and ninth to tie it up again, with freshman left fielder Jarrod Hocking knotting it up in the ninth after successfully executing a squeeze bunt to bring in pinch-runner Keenan Proctor.

The Bruins used a total of seven pitchers in the contest. Senior righties Kelly Austin and Charles Harrison were the most effective UCLA hurlers, combining to go nine-up, nine-down between the sixth and eighth innings.

Though the Waves were outhit by a margin of 15-9, the hosts came up with several big swings in key moments to take the result.

Masino opened up his five-RBI day with a bases-loaded double in the third inning to give Pepperdine a 4-1 lead. Later on, leadoff man Grant Schoen hit a two-run homer in the sixth to give the Waves a two-run lead.

Pepperdine's walk-off rally came as a result of a pair of softly-hit singles. Quintt Landis started it off with a one-out single. He would come around all the way from first on the next play, a hit-and-run bloop single to shallow right field that was just out of reach of a diving Toussaint Bythewood.

UCLA returns to action this weekend, hosting UC Davis for a three-game series at Jackie Robinson Stadium starting at 6:00 p.m. PT on Friday.