MALIBU, Calif. — Saint Mary's Baseball hit the road for the first time in West Coast Conference play on Friday as they opened up a three-game series with the Pepperdine Waves. The Waves were preseason favorites to win the WCC but got off to a slow start on the year, entering under .500 on the season. Both offenses got off to a slow start in the series opener, but one big inning was enough to undo Saint Mary's as the Waves took the series opener with a final of 4-0. Pepperdine improves to 10-10 (3-1) while the Gaels drop down to 11-10 (1-3).
 
CRUISE CONTROL
Both starting pitchers were locked in early, as the game entered the sixth inning scoreless. Saint Mary's threw Friday ace Carlos Lomeli, and he looked dominant in the early innings, going the first five innings without any trouble: just three hits, and no walks. He was matched pitch-for-pitch by Trevor Hinkel of Pepperdine, however, who also managed to make it through the first five innings of the game unscathed. The difference for Hinkel was that he allowed six hits through five innings and walked one.
 
BIG WAVE
The seas got rocky in the sixth inning and that eventually forced Lomeli out of the ballgame. Joe Caparis opened up the bottom of the inning with a leadoff double, and was followed by a bunt single from Wyatt Young to put the pressure on. A groundout scored the game's first run, but it was immediately followed by a single from Ryan Johnson and a double down the right field line by Connor Bradshaw, scoring a second run and causing the bullpen gates to swing open for Jackson Hulett. He came close to getting out of the inning, but a passed ball allowed a third run to score and capped off the inning with Pepperdine suddenly in front 3-0.
 
CAN'T CAPSIZE
In four of the first six innings against Hinkel, the Gaels put two runners on base, but could not turn the tide against the Waves. In the first, Jacob Talamante walked and with two down, Gabe Giosso hit the first of his two singles. SMC had a pair of two out hits in the second, and a pair of one-out singles in the third. Blake Mann and Christopher Campos walked in the sixth with two down, but Saint Mary's could not push across that elusive first run. Their last chance came in the ninth inning, when Nathan Chong recorded the first double of his collegiate career, but SMC left him on base to end the game.
 
UP NEXT
Game two of the three-game series is set for Saturday afternoon at 1:00 pm at Eddy D. Field Stadium. The Gaels will send one of the best pitchers in the NCAA to the mound as Sam Bower gets the nod, sporting a 1.05 ERA that entered the weekend ranked second-best in the NCAA. He also owns the second-lowest WHIP among qualifying pitchers in the NCAA, and the best among starting pitchers. He will be opposed by Gunnar Groen of Pepperdine.