MALIBU, Calif. – The University of the Pacific fell in game one of the series to Pepperdine University, 5-3, on Friday afternoon.

The Tigers fall to 11-17 on the season and 3-7 in West Coast Conference play, while the Waves improve to 13-15 overall and 5-5 in conference.

The Orange and Black came out on fire taking an early 2-0 lead. With one out, Alex LeForestier reached base on an error by the Waves. James Free and Lucas Halstead were both hit by the pitch with two outs, which pushed LeForestier to third and Free to second. Nate Verlin stepped up to the plate and hit a two-run single through the right side to score Free and LeForestier for the early lead.

The Waves came back to score one run in the third, fourth, and fifth, followed by a two-run inning in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead, 5-2.

In the top of the eighth, Halstead closed in on the Waves lead, smashing a solo home run over the fence in deep center field to bring the score within two and trail, 5-3, but it was not enough, as Pepperdine claimed the victory.

The Tigers tallied six hits on the day with Verlin leading the offense going 3-for-4 from the plate with two RBI, while Halstead went 1-for-3 from the plate with one run and one RBI, notching his second home run of the season. Free and Michael Ricupito connected for the other two hits. LeForestier and Free scored two of the three runs for Pacific.

Shelby Lackey was charged with the loss in 4.1 innings pitched and striking out one batter, while Cooper Chandler picked up the win with two strikeouts through 6.2 innings pitched. Jordan Qsar earned the save.

Pacific returns to action in Malibu on Saturday for game two of the series against Pepperdine with first pitch set for 1:00 p.m.