It has been reported that former “Baywatch” star Pamela Anderson is a big fan of the No. 17 Pepperdine Waves baseball team (31-17, 10-5 WCC), and that she tabs herself the “team mom” and auctions off dinner dates with her to the Pepperdine players.
The Bruins happen to be fans of the team from Malibu as well.
On Tuesday afternoon, in an unusual weekday day-game due to the absence of lights at Pepperdine, the No. 21 Bruins (28-19, 12-3 Pac-10) completed a season sweep of the Waves with a 4-1 victory. The Bruins defeated the Waves 6-2 on April 17 at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
“We were able to come back today because we put Sunday’s game behind us and forgot about it,” said shortstop Brandon Crawford, who finished the game 3-for-4. “Today we just did the same things that we have done all season that have been successful. We played solid defense and we hit. Plus, every one of our pitchers that pitched today did a very good job. It was a good win.”
Spectators at Eddy D. Field Stadium were treated to Bruin pitcher Garett Claypool’s best performance of the year in the team’s last non-conference game. Claypool (3-0) was spectacular in his seventh start of the season, allowing just four hits and two walks while striking out four batters over five scoreless innings. Only one Wave runner advanced as far as second throughout the game while Claypool was on the mound.
“I felt very good out there today,” Claypool said. “I did a good job of locating my pitches. I fell behind early in a few counts but I was able to get out of jams because I found success locating my fastball.”
Coach John Savage was impressed with Claypool’s performance on the road against one of the premier teams in the country.
“(Claypool) has given us quality starts every time he has gone out there,” Savage said. “He has grown up throughout the year and has had some big starts on the road. These types of games have given him a lot of experience, which is key because we will need him to play well down the stretch.”
The Bruins got on the board in the fourth when third baseman Jermaine Curtis and second baseman Alden Carrithers hit consecutive singles. Then, like so many times this season, Crawford came through, driving in both runners with a double to right-center for an early 2-0 lead. One out later, Crawford stole third, and then scored with two outs on a wild pitch to extend the Bruin lead to 3-0.
The Waves seemed to threaten the Bruin lead in the sixth against the stout UCLA bullpen. Pepperdine loaded the bases against Bruin relievers Jason Novak and Tim Murphy with two outs. But Murphy would not be fazed by the pressure and proceeded to strike out second baseman Denny Duron to end the threat.
The Waves eventually cracked the scoreboard in the seventh. Pepperdine center fielder Adrian Ortiz singled against Murphy, prompting Savage to replace Murphy with Brant Rustich. Rustich then made a throwing error against shortstop Danny Worth, which allowed Ortiz to score and Worth to advance to third, cutting the lead to 4-1. But that was as close as the Waves would come for the remainder of the game.
The Bruins return to action this weekend as they travel to Tempe, Ariz., where they will face No. 10 Arizona State (34-12, 11-4 Pac-10) in a series which holds great importance in the Pac-10 race for the first-place Bruins.