The Virginia Commonwealth University Rams scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning to steal a season-opening win from the Long Beach State baseball team at Blair Field Friday night, 5-4.
The Dirtbags held a 4-1 lead heading into the ninth inning after a two-run single from sophomore Royce Murai in the eighth inning, but junior closer Eddie Magallon could not keep the Rams at bay.
Magallon’s first appearance of the season didn’t last long, as he could only manage to record one out thanks in part to VCU left fielder Paul Nice’s two-run single down the left field line.
“We gave [VCU] opportunities and when you do that you can’t win many games, LBSU head coach Troy Buckley said. “We didn’t take good at-bats at the end of the game, but I do like how they came back there in the ninth.”
In 2011, Magallon had earned the closers role after saving nine Dirtbags wins in 23 appearances out of the bullpen to go along with a 3.23 ERA, but couldn’t produce the same results in the 2012 season opener.
“I still trust Eddie, but he just had a bad day,” Buckley said. “We know we need two closers through the season. He’s earned this role; he just had a bad day.”
The Dirtbags had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth inning with a runner on third, but the runner, freshman Robert Vickers, was thrown out at the plate by Rams right fielder Taylor Buran to end the game.
“Yeah, at first it didn’t look deep enough, but I trust [third base coach Jesse Zepeda],” Buckley said. “[Zepeda] had the best angle and he sent [Vickers]. It just didn’t work out for us.”
Vickers led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a triple, his first collegiate hit and LBSU’s first extra base hit of the 2012 season. Senior center fielder Brennan Metzger followed with a walk to put runners at first and third, but the Dirtbags were unable to score.
In the seventh inning, Murai tripled his offensive output of a year ago when he singled home two of his fellow Dirtbags to give LBSU a 4-1 lead.
Murai, who had one RBI in 78 at-bats in 2011 took a fastball from Rams freshman relief pitcher Matt Lees and drove it up the middle for his second and third RBIs of the season.
The ball glanced off of second baseman Jordan Weymouth’s glove before careening into the outfield. Both sophomore Ino Patron and freshman Robert Vickers scored on the Murai single to give LBSU the 4-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh.
The Rams threatened in the top of the eighth inning before taking the lead in the ninth when shortstop Vimael Macin doubled down the left field line off of LBSU sophomore pitcher Josh Frye.
Frye got Rams left fielder Paul Nice to ground out to third baseman, but then walked Nick Kime to put runners on first and second base. Frye, who had a 1.72 earned run average in 15 innings in 2011, then got Bill Cullen to swing at a ball out of the strike zone to preserve the Dirtbags three-run lead.
Dirtbags starting pitcher Shawn Stuart began the season with a strikeout of VCU lead-off hitter Bill Cullen on four pitches, yet followed that with a walk and RBI double to the next two batters.
When Rams second baseman Jordan Weymouth reached base on a five pitch walk, Joey Cujas then doubled a 3-1 pitch from Stuart into the right field gap giving the visiting team an early lead, 1-0.
When Buckley pulled Stuart in favor of relief pitcher Jon Maciel at the start of the sixth inning, the starter had allowed the lone run to the Rams in five innings pitched while striking out seven and walking three.
The Dirtbags take on the Rams Saturday in the second game of a three-game series Saturday night at Blair Field with first pitch scheduled for 5:30.