By At the crack of Jake Vander Wal’s bat, two TCU outfielders and three Dirtbag baserunners simultaneously broke into full sprints. The Dirtbags’ first triple of the year one-hopped against the left-center field wall, clearing the bases and helping Long Beach (2-11) to a 14-3 victory over No. 23 TCU (8-5) Saturday night.
“Now you got an opportunity like we always talk about to win the series tomorrow and that’s a good opportunity,” head coach Troy Buckley said.
The win marked the Dirtbags’ second this week against a ranked opponent. They beat No. 16 Michigan 8-7 on Tuesday.
In a rarity, the Dirtbags struck first Saturday night. A leadoff double from junior first baseman Jacob Hughey allowed him to score on a Tanner Carlson single in the second inning. Carlson eventually scored on the Vander wal triple, which put the Dirtbags ahead 5-0 after two innings.
All eyes turned to the Dirtbags’ left handed ace, Adam Seminaris, to hold the lead against the No. 23 team in the nation. The sophomore had a solid outing and demonstrated an ability to pitch out of trouble. He ended the first and third innings with strikeouts to leave TCU runners stranded in scoring position.
“He grinded. I didn’t think he was sharp, but he grinded,” Buckley said.
Seminaris (1-2) went seven innings allowing no runs on four hits. He struck out six and walked three in a winning effort.
“Seminaris is throwing the ball the best for us, he’s giving us the best chance to win,” Buckley said.
Offensively, Carlson mirrored Seminaris’ dominance. The freshman infielder got his second and third RBI’s with a third-inning double. His fourth RBI came when he was hit by a pitch in the fifth putting Long beach up 12-0.
TCU removed its starter, Jake Eissler after Carlson’s double. Eissler went a paltry 2.1 innings allowing nine runs on seven hits. He hit two batters, struck out two and walked one. He was the losing pitcher.
“We wanted to not let that guy get to his offspeed stuff and just attack the fastball,” Carlson said.
TCU’s bullpen is its biggest weakness, a fact that showed Saturday after the early exit from Eissler. RHP Matt Rudis walked in two consecutive runs in the Dirtbags’ four-run third inning. The game was all but over, even with six innings left to play.
The Dirtbags face TCU in the getaway game 1 p.m. Sunday.
