RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The #13 Pepperdine baseball team used a season-high 24-hit attack to an 18-9 rout over UC Riverside on Tuesday night at the Riverside Sports Complex.

Pepperdine improved to 36-17 (14-6 WCC) with the win, while UC Riverside dropped to 19-32. The 24 hits marked the most for Pepperdine since the Waves put up 31 hits against Portland on Mar. 27, 2004.

The Waves plated a pair of runs in the first on an RBI double from Matt Aidem (Valencia, Calif./UC Santa Barabra/Valencia HS) and a passed ball that scored Aidem, giving Pepperdine a 2-0 lead. It was a short-lived lead however, as the Highlanders tied it up with an RBI single and a sac fly to make it a 2-2 contest after one inning.

UC Riverside would add a pair of unearned runs in the second inning, as a run scored on a passed ball and another on a wild pitch to give the Highlanders a 4-2 lead.

The Waves exploded in the third, first on David Harris’ (Glendora, Calif./Santa Barbara CC) solo homer, his fourth of the season, to make it a 4-3 game. Donald Brown (Camarillo, Calif./Camarillo HS) put the Waves on top with a two-out, two-run double later in the frame and Denny Duron (Shreveport, La./Evangel Christian Academy) followed with an RBI triple to give Pepperdine a 6-4 lead. Matthew Frazee (Bainbridge Island, Wash./Bainbridge HS) then capped the scoring with an RBI single to extend the Waves’ lead to 7-4.

Pepperdine continued swinging hot bats in the fourth inning, as Brown pushed the Waves advantage to 10-4 with a bases-clearing double, giving him five RBI on the night. Frazee then notched his second RBI single of the night to extend the Pepperdine advantage to 11-4.

The Highlanders cut into the Waves’ lead in the fourth on a two-run triple and a pair of RBI singles to make it an 11-8 contest.

Pepperdine added three in the sixth on an RBI single from Travis Tartamella (Alta Loma, Calif./Los Osos HS) and a two-run single from Harris, extending the Pepperdine lead to 14-8.

Duron kept the Waves offensive attack going in the seventh inning, launching a two-run homer, his fifth of the year, to push the Waves’ lead to 16-8. Bobby Cozine (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Thunder Ridge HS) and Harris then added RBI singles, putting the Waves ahead 18-8.

UC Riverside scored a run in the ninth to make it an 18-9 game before Jonathan Harmston (Fresno, Calif./Bullard HS) induced a groundout to end the game.

Pepperdine starter Brett Hunter (Moorpark, Calif./Moorpark HS) tossed 1.2 innings and allowed two earned runs in his first start since Feb. 29 and took a no-decision. Jordan Durrance (Manteca, Calif./Sierra HS) earned the win in relief while Doug Konoske (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon HS) tossed 4.1 scoreless innings in relief to keep the Highlanders at bay. Kolby Moore took the loss for the Higlanders.

Harris went 4-for-6 with four RBI to lead Pepperdine, Aidem notched four hits and two runs scored, Brown registered three hits and five RBI, Frazee notched a career-high three hits and Chase d'Arnaud (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos HS) recorded three hits and two runs scored. Brandon Schnebly led the Higlanders with a three-hit performance.

Up next, the Waves open the WCC Championship Series vs. San Diego from May 23-25 in San Diego.