Sophomore Juan Avila drove in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eight inning to lead the Long Beach State baseball team to a 4-3 victory over Cal Poly on Saturday at Blair Field.
Tied at 3 with a runner on third in the eighth inning, Avila hit Frankie Reed’s first pitch for an RBI single to right field to give the Dirtbags (21-19, 7-7 Big West Conference) a one-run lead they never relinquished.
“I knew [Reed] had a fastball away,” Avila said. “That’s what I was looking for, and that’s what I got.”
LBSU’s closer Eddie Magallon took the mound in the ninth and gave up a base hit on his first pitch before hitting the second batter.
From there, Evan Busby came up to bat for Cal Poly (19-18, 9-5 Big West) and showed bunt. However, Busby’s bunt popped foul and was caught by Dirtbags’ catcher Royce Murai.
LBSU then picked up a double play on a ground ball by Mustangs’ pinch hitter Bobby Crocker to close out the game as Magallon earned his ninth save of the season.
Kyle Friedrichs (3-2), who picked up the victory, came in the eighth to relieve the Dirtbags’ starting pitcher Branden Pinder.
Friedrichs induced three fly outs, the last of which came on a diving catch by left fielder Jeff McNeil to close the inning.
“I really think I had a shot,” McNeil said about his mindset before making the grab.
Buckley added: “It was a top-10 [catch] … ESPN deal.”
McNeil’s diving catch in the eighth overshadowed his collision with the left field wall in the first inning. Mustangs’ leadoff hitter Mitch Haniger ripped a pitch deep to left field that drove McNeil back into the wall for a leadoff triple, which ended up being first run of the game.
Reed (1-3) came in on relief for the Mustangs in the seventh inning, but picked up the loss after giving up the go-ahead run in the eighth.
The Dirtbags and Mustangs will close out their three-game series at Blair Field on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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.