Riverside, Calif. – Designated Hitter Andrew Allanson hit a pair of grand slams, one from each side of the plate, and drove in a school record eight runs, but CSU Bakersfield dropped a 10-9 thriller to visiting Pepperdine, Tuesday night at Hardt Field. Allanson's second home run drew the Roadrunners within a run in the bottom of the ninth, but Bakersfield could not complete the comeback and fell to 8-11 on the year. The Waves improved to 11-8.
"Andrew has been working hard and it showed today with a much more balanced approach," said CSUB Head Coach Jeremy Beard. "We play every pitch and you never know when you'll score your runs. Andrew hit a couple of big shots and allowed us to hang around just enough to have a chance, but we overran a couple of balls defensively while trying to do a little too much and it hurt us."
Allanson became the first Roadrunner to ever hit two grand slams in a single game, belting an opposite field home run from the left-side of the plate in the fifth inning and along home run over the scoreboard in left from the right side of the plate in the ninth.
Angel Saldivar singled with two outs in the ninth to extend CSUB's rally. He advanced into scoring position when pinch hitter Brock Perreira walked on a full count, but Aaron Casillas' hot shot back up the middle was snagged by Pepperdine reliever Davis Luikart, who threw to first to end the game.
The Waves held leads of 6-0 and 10-5, but Bakersfield wouldn't go away, thanks in large part to 6.2 innings of relief without allowing an earned run from Ryan Verdugo, Taylor Ott, Gabe Ulloa and Cody Tucker.
Starter Nick Perryman took the loss in his first career start. Pepperdine's Tyler Murrah allowed just one hit over four innings to earn the win. Luikart picked up his first save of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED...
T1 | The Waves jumped ahead 4-0 in the first, getting back-to-back, two-run doubles from Cam Conley and Nolan Lingley.
T3 | Quint Landis singled in two more in the third to give Pepperdine a 6-0 advantage.
B5 | Evan Rice and AJ Miller sandwiched singles around a James Bell base on balls to load the bases. Andrew Allanson jumped on the first pitch he saw, driving a grand slam home run to the opposite field to pull the Roadrunners within two runs.
T6 | Conley's fly ball to centerfield was overrun by CSUB's Michael Pollard, allowing Mike Malinchak to score on the play and make it 7-4.
B8 | Nic Anderson-Vine opened the eighth inning with a hustle double down the line in shallow right field and eventually scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-5.
T9 | Another misplayed fly ball, this time in left field allowed the Waves to score three times in their last at bat as they padded their lead late.
B9 | Pepperdine needed every last insurance run to hang on in the ninth. Nick Salas, Bell and Miller all walked, setting the stage for Allanson's historic moment. The redshirt freshman designated hitter worked the count to 2-1 before launching a no-doubt home run over the scoreboard in left for his second grand slam of the night. Angel Saldivar singled and advanced to second, but was stranded there to end the game.
NOTABLE...
• Andrew Allanson is the first CSUB Roadrunner to hit two grand slams in a single game, and the first to hit two home runs in a game since Noah Barba hit a pair against Chicago State on March 17, 2019.
• Allanson is the 11th `Runner to hit two home runs in a game, while his eight RBI is a new school record, snapping Chance Gusbeth's mark of seven, set against Northern Colorado in 2014.
• Centerfielder Jashia Morrissey had his stretch of reaching base in nine-straight plate appearances snapped with a second-inning strikeout.
• Third baseman Evan Rice was 1-for-3 with a base on balls, reaching base for the 16th-consecutive game. Rice has reached in every game he's played this season.
ON DECK...
Bakersfield welcomes Utah Valley to Hardt Field for the team's final non-conference series of the season. The Roadrunners and Wolverines will open the series on Friday night at 6:05 p.m., before playing a Saturday double header and Sunday's series finale. Saturday is alumni day, with discount tickets available to CSUB alumni, faculty and staff. Sunday is Major League Baseball day, with $3 tickets available at the gate to anyone who shows up wearing professional baseball apparel or gear.
