Pepperdine's Puckett Continues Dominance With Complete-Game Shutout of Portland

MALIBU, Calif. – A.J. Puckett pitched a complete-game shutout on Friday to lead the Pepperdine baseball team to a 4-0 victory over Portland in the opener of a three-game West Coast Conference series.

Puckett faced one batter over the minimum and struck out a career-high 12 to move to 7-2 on the year and extend his Pepperdine record streak to 54.2 innings without giving up an earned run. He has also not allowed a run of any kind in 43.0 innings.

The Waves move to 19-17 overall, 9-7 WCC with the win, while Portland falls to 14-23 overall, 1-12
WCC.

The Waves scored one run in the second inning on a Chase Lambert (Malibu, Calif./Malibu HS) RBI single and then added two more in the third. Brad Anderson (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS) singled home a run and the Waves scored their third on a double play. That was more than enough offense with the Pepperdine ace on the hill.

Puckett (Danville, Calif./De La Salle HS) kept the Pilots off balance all game, picking off two runners and getting three double plays to help stay out of trouble. The only real threat came in the sixth when Brady Kerr hit a leadoff double. Grant Taylor then singled with one out for the Pilots and Kerr was waved around third in an attempt to score, but Matt Gelalich (La Verne, Calif./Bonita HS) hit Anderson on the cutoff from centerfield and Anderson fired a throw home to get Kerr on a play at the plate.

Pepperdine would add a run in the seventh on a Manny Jefferson (Lakewood, Calif./Lakewood HS) sacrifice fly.

The Pilots did manage seven hits in the game, but Kerr was the only runner to make it past first. Puckett picked off runners in the first two innings of the game and the Waves turned two in the fourth, seventh and eighth. The junior righty struck out the side twice on the day and threw just 103 pitches in what was his first complete game of the year. He did not allow a walk in the game. Puckett hasn’t allowed an earned run since March 4, a streak that spans his last seven starts, and has only given up two unearned runs in that time. He hasn’t allowed a run of any kind in his last five starts, dating back to March 18.

Aaron Barnett (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley HS) was 2-for-3 with a double and run scored on the day for Pepperdine. Gelalich and Matthew Kanfer (Playa Del Rey, Calif./L.A.C.E.S.) had two hits on the day as well. Jason Rosen went 2-for-3 for Portland.