MALIBU, Calif. —  San Diego baseball saw its offense and defense come together in a 5-1 victory to open a three-game series against the Pepperdine Waves at Eddy D. Field Stadium on Friday. 

The Toreros (9-15, 2-2 WCC) got home runs from Andrew Gauna and Jayden Lobliner while starting pitcher Diego Gutierrez allowed just one run in five innings. 

Then, the duo of Hayden Cody and Porter Rovin combined for four scoreless frames to take down the Waves (6-19, 2-2 WCC). 

With the game knotted at one entering the fifth, the Toreros broke the tie and then added some insurance. After Gabe Springer was hit by a pitch for the 18th time this season, CJ Moran put the ball in play and USD took full advantage of a pair of Pepperdine miscues, waving Springer all the way home after two throws from the Waves hit him while rounding the bases.

Two batters later, Gauna hit a two-run homer over the left center field wall to cap off a three-run inning and give USD a 4-1 lead. 

In the seventh, Lobliner followed Gauna by launching his team-leading eighth home run of the season over the left center field wall. 

Gutierrez, who earned the win to move to 3-2 in 2026, tied a season-high with eight strikeouts while scattering three hits and three walks. The first five outs he recorded were all via a strikeout, allowing a first-inning solo home run from Pepperdine to be a mere footnote in his dominant outing. 

San Diego put together a two-out rally before the graduate student took the hill. A single and a stolen base for Lobliner put him in scoring position before Gauna switched spots for an RBI double down the right field line. 

Pepperdine, who took the final two games of its series at Saint Mary's last weekend to open conference play, was led by Julian Nunez, who recorded two of the Waves' four hits, a total that is tied for a season-low allowed by the Torero pitching staff. 

NOTABLE

• With the win, San Diego extended its winning streak at Eddy D. Field Stadium to six games, a stretch that dates to March 19, 2022. 
• Friday marked the first time this season that USD has held an opponent to one run or fewer.
• Gutierrez's eight strikeouts tied a season-high and matched the performance he had in back-to-back starts against Utah (February 20) and Michigan (February 27).
• With Lobliner's first inning single, he now has at least one hit in nine of his last 10 games.
• Lobliner's seventh-inning blast also set a new career-high in home runs in a single season (seven).
• With a hit by a pitch in the fifth inning, Springer took sole possession of second place on USD's all-time single-season hit by pitch list with 18.
• Gauna, who went 2-for-4 in the cleanup spot, launched his second home run in a Torero uniform. 
• With his third inning single, Moran has now registered at least one hit in eight of his last nine games played since March 11, hitting .351 (13-for-37) during that stretch 
• Cody recorded his fifth scoreless outing of the season. 
• Rovin threw his first scoreless appearance since he opened the season not allowing a run through his first 4.1 innings of work in two outings at Charlotte (February 14) and Long Beach State (February 17).

UP NEXT 
The Toreros will continue their three-game series against the Waves at Eddy D. Field Stadium tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is slated for 2:00 p.m., and the matchup will be streamed live on ESPN+. Live statistics will also be provided via StatBroadcast.