WCC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: SAINT MARY’S VS. PEPPERDINE

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Interstat) — The West Coast Conference Baseball Championship opens Wednesday with a matchup between the seed Saint Mary’s Gaels (28-24) and the seed Pepperdine Waves (21-32) at Scottsdale Stadium.

First pitch is set for 7 p.m. local time.

Saint Mary’s enters the tournament having won four of its last six games, including a 6-4 victory over San Francisco on Saturday. Talin Gardini, a right-handed pitcher, tossed three scoreless innings of relief in that win, allowing three hits and striking out two. Gardini has struggled in two prior outings (Interstat) — a 5-6 loss to California on April 28 (1 2/3 IP, 3 ER) and a 6-16 loss at San Diego on April 26 (0 2/3 IP, 4 ER) (Interstat) — but the Gaels will rely on his arm for length or a key out in a high-leverage spot.

Pepperdine, meanwhile, dropped two of three at Santa Clara to close the regular season, falling 3-2 on Saturday despite a strong start from left-hander Collin Valentine. He tossed four scoreless innings, allowing no hits but issuing two earned runs on a walk and a hit batsman, while striking out three. Valentine has been the Waves’ most consistent starter, posting a 1.93 ERA over his last three appearances, including a 6 2/3-inning, one-run outing against San Francisco on May 3.

The series history favors Pepperdine, which took two of three from the Gaels in Moraga, California, from March 20-22. The Waves won 7-1 and 9-5 after dropping the opener 9-8. That three-game set featured 37 total runs, suggesting the potential for an offensive slugfest.

Saint Mary’s brings a balanced attack. Designated hitter Jacob Johnson went 2-for-2 with a home run and an RBI in Saturday’s win. The Gaels have scored six or more runs in six of their last eight games but have also allowed 10 or more runs twice in that span.

Pepperdine’s offense has been inconsistent, scoring two or fewer runs in three of its last four games. Third baseman/right fielder Daniel Patterson homered and drove in two runs in Saturday’s loss.

The winner faces the seed in Thursday’s second round. The tournament is double-elimination.