By RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Despite once leading the game 5-1, the Long Beach State Dirtbags could not contain the California Baptist Lancers lineup, giving up eight unanswered runs in their 9-7 loss on Tuesday night at Totman Stadium.
The five through nine hitters in the Dirtbags’ lineup were all freshmen, and in the second inning, they got the scoring started with a couple of singles and a hit by pitch.
With the bases now loaded, freshman third baseman Jake Evans blasted a ball over the wall in left for a grand slam, putting the ‘Bags up 4-0.
CBU responded with a run of its own in the bottom half of the inning on a double steal attempt in which the run came across before the third out was recorded at second base after a rundown.
The Dirtbags struck again in the top of the third via the long ball, as freshman left fielder Matt Toomey went the opposite way with a solo shot to left field when what initially appeared to be a routine fly ball kept carrying, aided by the wind blowing out.
Down 5-1, the Lancer offense began to chip away, starting in the fourth inning with a solo home run by senior left fielder Jake Brown and a two-run single from junior catcher Trevor Spainhoward to cut the Dirtbag lead down to one, at 5-4.
LBSU’s junior starting pitcher, Van Larson, went beyond what was expected of him in a bullpen game, pitching 5.1 innings, escaping the fifth inning with CBU threatening with runners on the corners, eventually inducing a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning, preserving the lead.
“I thought [Larson] kept them off balance. I didn’t think the defense helped, when you make four errors behind you, that doesn’t help pitch count, but I thought he was fine,” LBSU head coach TJ Bruce said.
After CBU tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the sixth, the Lancers’ four-run seventh inning proved to be the difference.
Junior second baseman Ben Castelli brought across the go-ahead run with an RBI single, the next two runs came via a walk and a wild pitch, and finally, a sacrifice fly just a foot in front of the wall in left field made it 9-5.
Graduate right fielder Kyle Ashworth’s scorching line drive up the middle in the top of the eighth scored the second run of the inning to make it 9-7.
Looking for some extra speed on the base paths with two runners aboard, the Dirtbags summoned junior pinch runner Justin Roulston off the bench. However, he was later caught stealing at third base to end the inning.
The Dirtbags went down quietly in order in the ninth inning, losing 9-7 and putting an end to their six-game winning streak.
“You have a standard you’re trying to uphold, it’s not so much about the scoreboard,” Bruce said. “We’re going to do our best to put our best guys forward to give this program the chance to win games.”
A chance remains for the Dirtbags to finish in the top five of the Big West standings to make the conference tournament, but it’ll be out of their control, with their final three games coming against non-conference Oregon State beginning on Friday.
