MALIBU, Calif. – #13 Pepperdine used a 13-hit attack to post a 7-5 win over #3 Long Beach State on Tuesday afternoon at Eddy D. Field Stadium.

Pepperdine improved to 16-7 with the win, while Long Beach State fell to 17-4. The Waves improved to 4-3 vs. Top 25 teams with the victory.

The start of the game was marred by errors, as the teams combined to make seven errors after only two innings. Long Beach State jumped on top 2-0 in the first inning after registering two singles, but only one of the runs was earned after the Waves committed two errors in the frame. Pepperdine responded in their half of the first, scoring five runs on four hits and was aided by three Dirtbag errors. Trent Diedrich (Fresno, Calif./Bullard HS) and Nate Simon (Duvall, Wash./Tulane) notched two-run doubles, and Simon scored on a error to make it 5-2 after only one inning.

The Waves committed two more errors in the second inning, but Pepperdine starter Robert Dickmann (Woodland Hills, Calif./UCLA/Notre Dame HS) escaped without allowing a run to score. Pepperdine tacked on another run in the second inning, as Matt Aidem (Valencia, Calif./UC Santa Barbara/Valencia HS) singled to right field, advanced to third on Chase d'Arnaud’s (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos HS) double, and scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-2 in favor of the Waves.

LBSU cut the deficit to 6-3 in the fourth inning on an RBI groundout.

Pepperdine tacked on a run in the eighth inning as David Harris (Glendora, Calif./Santa Barbara JC/Glendora HS) scored on an error, but the Dirtbags put together a rally in the ninth inning, scoring two runs to make it a 7-5 game before bringing the go-ahead run to the plate with two outs, but Nick Gaudi (Lancaster, Calif./Paraclete HS) induced a flyout to end the game and seal the Waves’ victory.

Dickmann improved to 3-2 with the win, while Dirtbags’ starter Tyler Topp incurred the loss.

Denny Duron (Shreveport, La./Evangel Christian Academy) and Bryce Mendonca (San Leandro, Calif./Chabot JC) each notched two hits for the Waves, Aidem scored a pair of runs and Diedrich extended his hitting streak to seven games.

Up next, the Waves open up WCC play as they travel to Gonzaga to face the Bulldogs from Friday, Mar. 28 through Sunday, Mar. 30 in Spokane, Wash.