MALIBU, Calif. – #16 Pepperdine rode a nine-run first inning and seven shutout innings from Robert Dickmann to a 13-2 win over #22 Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday afternoon at Eddy D. Field Stadium.

The Waves improved to 14-5, and moved to 2-1 against Top 25 teams. The Titans dropped to 9-8 with the loss.

Pepperdine knocked Cal State Fullerton starter Jason Dovel out of the game before he recorded an out, as eight consecutive batters reached base to start the game, giving the Waves a 5-0 lead. The Waves notched five hits, two walks and a hit by pitch to account for their five runs. Two outs later with the bases loaded, David Harris (Glendora, Calif./Santa Barbara JC) launched a grand slam to right field, his second homer of the season, to give the Waves a 9-0 lead after just one inning.

Pepperdine added four runs in the sixth inning, as Eric Thames (San Jose, Calif./West Valley JC/Bellarmine Prep) notched an RBI groundout, Ryan Heroy (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley HS) recoded a two-run single and Travis Tartamella (Alta Loma, Calif./Los Osos HS) registered a run-scoring single to push the Waves’ lead to 13-0.

Cal State Fullerton got on the board in the eighth inning with a pair of run-scoring singles to cut the deficit to 13-2, but Doug Konoske (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon HS) slammed the door in the ninth by striking out the side to preserve Pepperdine’s win.

Dickmann earned the win after pitching seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits and one walk while striking out two. Dickmann also started on Sunday, taking the loss after only pitching 0.1 innings. Dovel incurred the loss for the Titans.

“Robert Dickmann did a great job for us today,” Pepperdine Coach Steve Rodriguez. “He had a terrible outing on Sunday, but its great to see him rebound and it shows the competitive nature he has. It’s great to see a kid have one of the worst starts he’s ever had, and then come out and have one of the best starts he’s ever had. Offensively it was great to be on the receiving end of a pitcher who struggled with his command. He gave us some opportunities, and our offense took great advantage of those opportunities, and it allowed our team to relax and have some fun.

Pepperdine was led on offense by Harris, who scored three runs and drove in four, and Chase d'Arnaud (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos HS), Trent Diedrich (Fresno, Calif./Bullard HS) and Tartamella, who each tallied a pair of hits. The Titans were led by Christian Colon, who went 2-for-4.

Up next, Pepperdine travels to face two-time defending national champion Oregon State from Mar. 20-22 in Corvallis, Ore.