Preview: Pepperdine Waves at Cal State Northridge Matadors

LOS ANGELES (Interstat) — The Cal State Northridge Matadors, riding the momentum of a series win at UC Irvine, host the struggling Pepperdine Waves in non-conference baseball action Monday at Matador Field.

First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. PDT under clear skies with a forecast temperature of 77 degrees.

The Matadors (9-6) enter having won three of their last four, including a 9-2 victory Sunday. A key contributor in that win was right-hander Lucas Alaniz, who is expected to see significant innings. Alaniz tossed four scoreless innings of relief against UC Irvine, striking out five. His season has been volatile, however, mixing dominant outings with ones where he has struggled with command.

Pepperdine (3-11) looks to halt a skid that saw them drop two of three to Michigan over the weekend. The Waves’ bright spot in Saturday’s 5-2 loss was reliever Dylan Stewart, who delivered three shutout innings with five strikeouts. Stewart, who will be a player to watch, has shown swing-and-miss stuff but has also been prone to high-walk, high-run outings, as seen in a Feb. 22 appearance at Fresno State.

The Waves’ offense has been inconsistent, scoring three or fewer runs in seven of their 11 losses. They will need to solve a Northridge pitching staff that has found its footing after a rocky start to the season.

For CSUN, center fielder Vaughn Coleman, who drove in two runs Sunday, will aim to spark an offense that has shown potency in its victories.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, the projected final score is Cal State Northridge 5, Pepperdine 2.

This game serves as a standalone midweek contest before both teams resume extended series later in the week. Pepperdine returns home to face Massachusetts-Lowell for four games beginning Thursday. Cal State Northridge opens a three-game home set with UC San Diego on Friday.