Back-to-back two-run hits from Derek Legg and Kellen Hoime in the bottom of the eighth lifted the Dirtbags to a 7-4 win against Wichita State on Saturday at Blair Field.
Long Beach State (6-7) fought hard in a game that went back-and-forth to hand the Shockers (10-2) their second loss of the season. Down 4-3 entering the bottom of the eighth, the Dirtbags’ offense drove in four runs to put the game out of reach.
“The bottom of our lineup did very well tonight,” LBSU head coach Mike Weathers said.
The bottom of LBSU’s lineup consisted of designated hitter Juan Avila, Legg and Hoime. They went a combined 5-for-10 with four RBIs and four runs scored.
Starting pitcher Jake Thompson had control of his pitches early, striking out five Shockers in the first three innings. Thompson struck out seven and gave up three earned runs in 7.0 innings, while allowing five hits and two walks.
“He did a good job of keeping them off balance and keeping us in the game,” Weathers said.
Closer David Brown (2-0) got the win for LBSU in 1.2 innings of work.
Shockers starting pitcher Jordan Cooper was hit six times in 6.1 innings and walked four batters. Logan Hoch (1-1) was charged with the loss.
The Dirtbags had a chance to get on the scoreboard early with runners on first and third and no outs in the bottom of the first inning, but once again, poor base running resulted in a scoreless inning.
Sophomore Brennan Metzger was thrown out at home plate by Shockers first baseman Clint McKeever after Devin Lohman got caught in a rundown between first and second, with cleanup hitter TJ Mittelstaedt up to bat.
Wichita State got a run through in the top of the second off an error from first baseman Steve Tinoco. With bases loaded and two out, Tinoco was able to get in front of a grounder hit down the first base line, but wasn’t able to get the out at first as a runner came home to score.
Cody Lassley gave the Shockers a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth when he sent a fastball from Thompson soaring over the left field wall. Ryan Jones almost made it two home runs in the sixth when he sent another Thompson pitch flying over the right field wall, going wide right of the foul pole by inches. Thompson struck out Jones two pitches later to end the inning.
But the Dirtbags responded in the bottom of the sixth. Sophomore Joey Terdoslavich came up with yet another clutch hit on an RBI-double up the middle that scored Lohman from second.
Terdoslavich went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base.
A Wichita State error in the bottom of the seventh gave LBSU a 3-2 lead. Legg came home from second base after Shockers shortstop Tyler Grimes’ throw to first got past Clint McKeever.
With the bases loaded, two out and Brown on the mound in the top of the eighth, Jones hit a two-run RBI-single to give Wichita State a 4-3 lead. McKeever, the next batter, hit a chopper right back at Brown who threw it to Tinoco at first for a key out as the Shockers left two men on base.
The rubber game for the three-game series is tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Blair Field.