Matt Hibbert scored the tying run in the eighth inning before recording the game-winning run in the 10th to give the Long Beach State Dirtbags a 4-3 win over Cal State Northridge on Senior Night Sunday at Blair Field.
Hibbert started the bottom of the tenth with a base hit to short after beating out the throw to first.
“I knew I had a chance,” Hibbert said. “I trusted my legs.”
Freshman Jeff McNeil moved Hibbert over to second with a sacrifice bunt before catcher Mike Marjama advanced Hibbert to third with an infield base hit.
Following a strikeout by Ino Patron, sophomore Matt Duffy hit the ball to Matadors short stop Tommy Simis. However, Simis was unable to handle the ground ball and his error allowed Hibbert to cross home for the walk off win with two outs and two runners left on base.
Hibbert also kept the Dirtbags alive in the eighth inning by scoring the tying run. With one out, Hibbert hit a double to left field, dropping his helmet between first and second.
“My teammates say that I take [the helmet] off,” Hibbert joked, “I think it goes off in the wind.”
McNeil’s base hit to Simis advanced Hibbert to third. Hibbert tied the game by sliding into home after a sacrifice fly to left field by Marjama.
“I was trying to do too much,” said Hibbert, who struck out in his first two at-bats. “But I settled down.”
“[Hibbert] turned his day around,” LBSU head coach Troy Buckley said.
The Matadors had the lead at the end of the seventh inning after an RBI triple by left fielder Ridge Carpenter turned into an unearned run off an error.
Freshman Kyle Friedrichs came in for relief for the Dirtbags (27-26, 10-11 Big West) with one out in the seventh inning. Friedrichs (4-2) retired nine of the ten batters he faced.
Friedrichs allowed no runs and no hits as he was credited the win.
Josh Goosen-Brown came in for relief for the Matadors (22-31, 5-16 Big West) after Hibbert’s tying run. Goosen-Brown (4-3) faced ten batters but was credited the loss after the unearned run in the tenth.
Sunday’s game was also the Dirtbags’ last home game of the season. Senior Dirtbags Tyler Watson and Hibbert were honored before the start of the game.
The Dirtbags will finish the season on the road at UC Irvine for the final conference series. The next game is scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Irvine.
“We have to put all the pieces of the game together as we finish up [the season]” Buckley said.
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