MALIBU, Calif. (Interstat) — Jack Fowler pitched five innings of one-hit shutout relief and Pepperdine scored six unearned runs to beat Portland 8-1 on Saturday afternoon at Eddy D. Field Stadium.

The Waves improved to 20-29 overall after splitting the first two games of the three-game series. Portland fell to 25-22.

Fowler entered in the top of the first inning after starter Tommy Scavone walked Portland leadoff hitter Bean but recorded no outs. Fowler retired the next three batters, striking out two, to strand the runner. He finished with five strikeouts and no walks, allowing only a fifth-inning single to Carter Stewart. The outing was a sharp turnaround from his previous appearance Tuesday at UC Santa Barbara, where he surrendered four earned runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Portland starter Trey Newmann worked six innings, striking out six but allowing three earned runs — though the damage came largely via defensive miscues. The Pilots took the field after scoring their only run in the top of the first, but the lead was short-lived.

The decisive inning came in the bottom of the second. Kai Laxa singled with one out, advanced on a balk, then James struck out. Danny Cook walked, and the next batter, Nash Horton, reached on a throwing error by third baseman KatayamaStall. Laxa and Cook scored on the play, with Horton moving to second. Shawn Romero followed with a two-run home run to left field, his second of the season, making it 4-0.

Pepperdine added two more runs in the fourth. Laxa singled again and James singled, and after a sacrifice bunt, Horton doubled to left-center to drive them both in, stretching the lead to 6-0.

Newmann settled in after that, retiring seven of the next nine batters and allowing only a single to Woodworth in the fifth. He left after six innings with Portland still trailing.

Reliever Carter Gaston pitched two innings for the Pilots, allowing two runs on two hits. In the eighth, Woodworth singled, James singled and Cook doubled to right-center, scoring both runners for an 8-0 lead.

Portland’s only run came in the ninth. Reliever Austin Plisinski had held the Pilots scoreless over four innings, allowing five hits and one earned run while striking out three. In the ninth, with Plisinski still on the mound, Stewart led off with a solo home run to center field, his second of the season. Kauffman followed with a single, but Bean grounded into a forceout to end the game.

For Pepperdine, Romero drove in two runs and Horton added two RBIs. Laxa finished with two hits. For Portland, Stewart went 2 for 4 with a homer and an RBI.

The game played out differently than projections suggested. Interstat’s game simulator had forecast a 6-4 Pepperdine win, while the ELO system gave Portland a 66.40 percent probability of victory. The two teams close the series Sunday afternoon.