The collection of fans that gathered just behind the left-field wall at Blair Field left the game happy and with a few souvenirs on Sunday.
Long Beach State (21-23) and Stanford’s bats caught fire, but it was the Dirtbags who avoided a series sweep with a 10-5 win over the Cardinal in front of 971 fans on Mother’s Day.
Blair Field’s dimensions make it much more of a pitcher’s ballpark, but that didn’t matter to Brennan Metzger, Kirk Singer or Jonathan Jones. The three Dirtbags each blasted solo home runs in their win over the Cardinal (25-18).
“We played a little small ball for some runs today,” Dirtbags head coach Mike Weathers said. “And, we actually hit for some power too.”
The home runs helped LBSU avoid blowing what was at one point a five-run lead.
The Beach took advantage of three walks to put five runs on the scoreboard in the second inning, but saw that lead shrink to one run in the fourth inning before Metzger’s shot to left field.
Singer’s home run came in the fifth inning, while Jones smashed his solo shot in the eighth frame.
After strong outings by the previous four starting pitchers in the series, Sunday’s starters weren’t as impressive.
LBSU starter Branden Pinder (4-5) picked up the win, but allowed five runs on eight hits in six innings on the mound. Pinder had trouble getting through the fourth inning when he surrendered three runs on three hits to the Cardinal.
“I thought Pinder did okay,” Weathers said. “He gave up five runs, but I thought he hung in there and gave us a chance to win.”
Stanford’s Mark Appel (2-1) couldn’t get out of the second inning and took the loss after allowing five runs on four hits. Brian Busick allowed two Dirtbags home runs and Chris Reed allowed one homer.
The Dirtbags added two more runs in the bottom of the seventh inning when Singer scored from third on a sacrifice by Joel Thys and Steve Tinoco scored on a Jordan Casas single.
Joel Thys and TJ Mittelstaedt both went 1-for-4 with two RBIs apiece to lead the Dirtbags on offense.
LBSU will travel to take on USC on Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. at Dedeaux Field. The yearly rivalry series with Cal State Fullerton will begin on Friday at Blair Field. First pitch for that contest with the Titans is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
“We’re capable of playing like that all year, it just hasn’t fallen into place for us,” Weathers said. “We had to have something pick us up after those two close losses.”
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.