It took some time, but Long Beach State was able to score the runs it needed to secure a win Friday night.
The Dirtbags’ five-game winning streak was extended to six with a 5-2 victory over the visiting UC Riverside Highlanders at Blair Field.
During the streak, LBSU (13-12, 1-0 Big West Conference) has outscored its opponents 57-19 as the Dirtbag offense and pitching staff began to hit their stride. Both continued to perform well in this contest.
After being held to just two runs through six innings, LBSU capitalized on UCR (17-7, 1-3 Big West) starting pitcher Paul Bargas’ first walk of the game as Jonathan Jones laced a single to center field, scoring Taylor Krick from second base.
Jordan Casas then drove in Jones from second base with a single to right field, giving the Dirtbags a 4-2 lead. LBSU pushed another run across in the eighth for its fifth run.
The Dirtbags were the last team to begin their Big West schedule this season. Head coach Mike Weathers doesn’t want the Dirtbags to lose ground in the standings.
“Getting our first win [in conference] is real important … you don’t want to fall behind teams that are 3-0 or 2-1,” Weathers said. “Good way to start off the conference for us, especially with what we’ve accomplished lately. It’s only gonna build more confidence.”
Adam Wilk (4-1) put together another solid outing for the Dirtbags as he allowed just two runs on six hits in his 7 1/3 innings on the mound to pick up the win. At one point, the left-handed hurler retired 11 Highlanders in a row. Wilk, a junior, has proved to be the most consistent starter for LBSU so far this season.
“It’s [the team’s confidence] really high now,” Wilk said. “Riverside is a really good team … It’s a confidence boost that we beat a quality opponent. It’s pretty impressive.”
Casas and Krick both had two hits, an RBI and a run scored to lead the Dirtbags on the offensive side.
Charlie Ruiz picked up his fifth save of the season in 1 2/3 innings of work. Ruiz came into the game in the eighth inning with the bases loaded, but got out of the jam without allowing a run to come across the plate.
Bargas (3-2) took the loss for the Highlanders, who were led on offense by Joey Gonzales with two hits and a run scored.
After an uneventful first inning, LBSU used a Derek Legg leadoff double and two sacrifices to take the early 1-0 lead in the second inning.
UCR answered back in the third inning with back-to-back hits that left two runners in scoring position. Highlander designated hitter Michael Hur then smashed a base hit off the glove of Devin Lohman that allowed both runners to score.
The Dirtbags put together a small rally of their own in the bottom half of the third inning. Casas was able to reach base with a bunt single. A stolen base and errant pick-off attempt put Casas at third base.
TJ Mittelstaedt then blasted a line drive triple over the head of UCR center fielder Carl Uhl to score Casas easily from third base and tie the score, 2-2.
The Dirtbags added another run in the bottom of the eighth inning after Rylan Sandoval doubled and scored on a Highlander error to give LBSU the 5-2 lead.
LBSU will try for the series victory on Saturday at Blair Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.