LOS ANGELES — The Dirtbag bats came to life as they knocked off Loyola Marymount University in a matinee on Wednesday, 9-6, at Page Stadium.
The first five hitters in the Long Beach State (2-2) batting order combined for 10 of the Dirtbags’ 14 hits in the contest. LBSU seemed to be making a concerted effort to put runners on base as the top of the order was swinging freely, especially early in the game. Yet, head coach Mike Weathers wasn’t sure that was the approach he wanted his team to take.
“We don’t like to swing it that early in the count. I didn’t think we were very productive with some of our outs,” Weathers said. “We had double play balls with the bases loaded … we gave up too many outs with runners on.”
LBSU only used one pitcher through the first seven innings, Adam Wilk. The junior left-hander, who is normally used out of the bullpen, had an impressive outing as he only needed 75 pitches to get through seven innings. Wilk was perfect through the first four innings as he didn’t allow a base runner until LMU (4-2) outfielder Angelo Songco led off the bottom of the fifth with a base hit.
“It was a pretty cool feeling … I have never been that deep into a game,” Wilk said. “I felt my pregame bullpen had a good rhythm in it. It was an aggressive attack in pregame bullpen, and that carried out really well in the game.”
Wilk, who faced 24 batters, didn’t award any free passes, and had three strikeouts in his seven innings of work.
Weathers liked what he saw from Wilk, but he wasn’t expecting to see his reliever to go for an extended period.
“We mapped it out for maybe five [innings], but that was encouraging for us. He was really, really sharp. He pitched to contact, which we like to do, and that [his performance] was quite impressive for him and for us,” Weathers said. “It was a big boost for us. We don’t have a strikeout staff, so we need to put the ball in play and trust our defense.”
LMU, which came into the game having already played five games in the previous five days, used seven pitchers with five of them only throwing one inning.
The Dirtbags capitalized on free passes to jump out to an early 3-0 lead in the second inning. After Derek Legg was hit by a pitch and Kellen Hoime walked, left fielder T.J. Mittelstaedt used a bunt to load the bases. Designated hitter Steve Tinoco grounded into a double play, but Legg was able to score from third base giving LBSU its first run.
Third baseman Rylan Sandoval walked on four straight pitches and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Center fielder Jonathan Jones then hammered a double off the 37-foot wall in left field, named the Blue Monster, which let two more runs come across the plate.
The Dirtbags scored a run in the fourth inning, and the pushed another run across in the fifth on a sacrifice by Hoime.
LBSU manufactured three runs on just two hits in the six inning, as the result of good base running and sacrifices, to take a commanding 8-0 lead. The Lions countered with a solo home run by Songco in the bottom of the seventh.
Walks hurt the Dirtbags in the bottom of the eighth as LMU made a late push by scoring five runs in the frame. Four different pitchers took the mound for LBSU in the inning, and they gave up three walks to go along with a hit batsman to start the inning. The Dirtbags saw their eight-run lead shrink to just two at the start of the ninth.
LBSU scored an insurance run in the top of the ninth, and then relief pitcher Charlie Ruiz finished out the Lions for his first save of the season.
Mittelstaedt led the Dirtbags with three hits, while Jones had a team-high three RBIs.
The Dirtbags will host the University of California in a three-game series starting on Friday at Blair Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.