Pepperdine at Santa Clara

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (Interstat) — Pepperdine visits Santa Clara on Friday at Stephen Schott Stadium in a West Coast Conference series game. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. with clear skies and a temperature of 69 degrees.

The Waves (21-29) and Broncos (22-28) enter the game separated by one game in the loss column. Pepperdine won its most recent game, a 5-2 victory over Portland on Sunday. Santa Clara also won Sunday, defeating Seattle 4-2.

Pepperdine will start right-hander Collin Valentine. In his last outing, Valentine threw 6.0 innings, allowing five hits and one earned run with two strikeouts in the win against Portland. Over his previous three starts, Valentine has a 2.35 ERA across 14.2 innings, though he allowed three earned runs in a 3.0-inning start at Loyola Marymount on April 19.

Santa Clara counters with right-hander RJ Meyn. Meyn has been dominant recently, throwing 5.1 scoreless innings with three strikeouts in Sunday’s win over Seattle. In his last four appearances, Meyn has allowed no earned runs over 13.0 innings, striking out nine while yielding two hits.

The teams played Thursday, the series opener, with no score provided. Pepperdine swept a three-game series against Portland last weekend, outscoring the Pilots 18-6. Santa Clara took two of three at Seattle, scoring 22 runs in the series.

Pepperdine’s offense was led Sunday by designated hitter Joshua Woodworth, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Santa Clara shortstop Ben Cleary drove in two runs Sunday.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-6 Pepperdine victory, though the system’s ELO ratings give Santa Clara a 66.2 percent win probability.

The teams conclude the series Saturday at the same venue.