MALIBU, Calif. (Interstat) — The Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks built a commanding early lead and then withstood a furious late rally by the Pepperdine Waves to secure a 7-6 victory in non-conference baseball action Thursday at Eddy D. Field Stadium.

The River Hawks, who improved to 5-7, scored in each of the first three innings against Pepperdine starter Casey Euper, who took the loss. The Waves fell to 3-13.

Massachusetts-Lowell opened the scoring in the second inning. After two hit batters, Joseph DeLanzo drove a double down the left field line to score one run. A groundout and an RBI single by Cal Chance plated two more, staking the River Hawks to a 3-0 lead.

They extended it in the third without a hit, capitalizing on a walk, an error and a fielder’s choice to push across another run. Chance was instrumental again in the sixth, singling and scoring as part of a three-run rally that featured an RBI single from Sean, a bases-loaded walk by Solorzano, a sacrifice fly from Donahue and a run-scoring fielder’s choice by DeLanzo. That outburst gave Massachusetts-Lowell a 7-0 advantage.

The game’s most critical sequence came in the bottom of the sixth, transforming a potential blowout into a nail-biter. After starter Christopher Klueber delivered four strong innings of no-hit ball for the River Hawks, allowing two earned runs, the Waves’ offense erupted against the bullpen.

Following two quick outs, Trey Dunn launched a two-run homer to left center, cutting the deficit to 7-2. In the sixth, after a walk and an infield single, Pepperdine catcher Max Aude connected for a three-run blast to deep right field, suddenly making it a 7-5 game. The very next batter, Kai Laxa, followed with a solo shot to left, bringing the Waves within a single run and completing a stunning four-run, two-homer inning.

From there, the Massachusetts-Lowell bullpen stabilized. Arnold Wu and Jack Fowler combined for four scoreless innings of relief for Pepperdine, but the Waves could not complete the comeback. They put the tying run in scoring position in the ninth after a hit batter and a single, but River Hawks reliever Martinez, who had moved from center field to the mound for the final frame, induced a strikeout and a groundout to end the game.

Offensively, Cal Chance led the River Hawks’ 12-hit attack, going 5 for 6 with an RBI, a double and two stolen bases. Joseph DeLanzo added two hits and two RBIs. For Pepperdine, Max Aude’s three-run homer highlighted his 2-for-4, three-RBI day, while Trey Dunn contributed a two-run homer as part of the Waves’ nine-hit output.

The victory defied pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had predicted a 3-2 Massachusetts-Lowell win, while its ELO system gave Pepperdine a 53.4% probability of victory.

The teams are scheduled to continue their four-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday.