MALIBU, Calif. (Interstat) — Dylan Stewart delivered five dominant innings of relief and Trey Dunn’s three-run homer sparked an early comeback as the Pepperdine Waves defeated the San Diego Toreros 7-4 in the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday evening at Eddy D. Field Stadium.

The Waves, who evened the series with a shutout win Saturday, overcame an early four-run deficit to claim the weekend. The victory improved Pepperdine’s record to 8-19, while San Diego fell to 9-17.

San Diego struck first, capitalizing on Pepperdine starter Jack Valentine’s early struggles. The Toreros pushed across a run in the second inning on an RBI single by Chase Meidroth and added three more in the third. An RBI single by Kevin Moran and a run-scoring double by Andrew Gauna highlighted the inning, giving the visitors a 4-0 lead.

The game turned decisively in the bottom of the first. After Drake Frize relieved San Diego starter Evan Bade with two outs, he hit Connor Woodworth with a pitch. Dunn then connected on a towering three-run homer to deep right field, instantly slicing the deficit to 4-3 and shifting the momentum to the home dugout.

Pepperdine completed the comeback and took the lead for good in the fifth. Daniel Patterson doubled and later scored on James Dell’Amico’s RBI double, giving the Waves a 5-4 advantage. They extended their lead with single runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Kai Laxa, who finished 3 for 4, scored on an RBI double by Julian Aude in the sixth, and came home again in the seventh on an RBI single by Jack Cook.

The most critical phase of the game was Stewart’s entrance from the bullpen to begin the fifth inning. With his team having just seized the lead, the right-hander stifled the Toreros’ offense. He allowed just one hit—a single to Meidroth in the ninth—and struck out six over five scoreless frames. His performance preserved the lead and secured the series victory, earning him the win.

San Diego’s offense, which produced 10 hits, was held in check after the third inning. Frize took the loss for the Toreros, allowing two earned runs over 3 2/3 innings of relief without surrendering a hit, though he walked three and hit three batters.

The result defied pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had forecast a 3-2 Pepperdine victory, while its ELO rating system gave San Diego a 76.1 percent probability to win.

Pepperdine next hosts Cal State Northridge on Tuesday. San Diego returns home to begin a three-game series against Santa Clara on Thursday.