MALIBU, Calif. — Saturday afternoon was the second game of a three-game series against Pepperdine for Saint Mary's Baseball. The Gaels broke out of their funk from Friday's opener right away, scoring in the very first inning, but couldn't muster enough beyond the early innings to take one away from Pepperdine. The Waves used a steady offensive attack to bring down Saint Mary's with a final of 7-2, securing a series win. Pepperdine is now 12-10 (4-1) while the Gaels are even at 11-11 (1-4).
 
GETTING ONE EARLY
The Gaels were able to put Friday's shutout behind them early by scoring the game's first run just three batters into the ballgame. Ryan Ellis took the first four pitches of the game for a leadoff walk, and was promptly bunted to second base by Nick Mistone. Jacob Talamante continued to stay hot by sending a ball through the right side to score Ellis and give the Gaels a very early 1-0 lead. This marked the 11^th time the Gaels have scored first and just the fifth time that's happened in the first, but the third time on both accounts that the game has ended in defeat.
 
FOR THE FIRST TIME
Gaels fans have been accustomed to seeing Saturday starter Sam Bower step foot on the mound and dominate, featuring some of the best strikeout-to-walk numbers in the NCAA, and one of the best ERAs. The Waves were able to hit Bower around a bit in the second game of the series, as Bower was chased in the fourth inning after allowing eight hits, four runs, and walking a batter while striking out three. Pepperdine got runs in the second, third, and two in the fourth, including four hits in that frame alone against Bower. He also allowed just his second home run of the season, a solo shot by Justin Lutes, which came in the third inning. Behind Bower, the Gaels bullpen allowed just one earned run as Liam Steigerwald, Preston Howey, Dalton Ponce, and Jackson Hulett finished the game.
 
SEARCHING FOR THE BIG ONE
Saint Mary's put up seven hits in the ballgame on Saturday, but all seven were singles coming from six different players. Talamante led the way with two hits and both runs batted in, including a bases-loaded walk in the fifth inning that made it a 4-2 deficit at the time. Nathan Chong got his second hit in as many days as the designated hitter for the Gaels, while Marc Goulart made his return to the lineup and went 1-2 with a single and a run scored. Chris Santiago drew the start at third base for the first time since March 12 and went 1-4.
 
UP NEXT
The series concludes on Sunday with getaway day, as the Gaels will send Ky Bush to the mound looking to get one from the Waves. Bush was strong across his final three innings of work against San Diego last week, tossing three shutout innings with just two hits allowed after a rocky start to the outing. The Gaels are an even 3-3 on Sunday games this year. First pitch in Malibu is scheduled for 1:00 pm.