Long Beach State baseball center fielder Brennan Metzger battled the whole game, reaching base three out of the five times he came up to bat, but none was bigger than his last at-bat in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Metzger was able to draw a walk that secured a 7-6 walk-off wild pitch win against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams Saturday.
“It was good for the [Dirtbags] to get their first win,” LBSU head coach Troy Buckley said. “When they scored, we answered and scored as well. That was a good sign.”
Sophomore second baseman Jeff McNeil led off the ninth inning against Rams relief pitch Matt Lees with a single to left field and advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt from junior Juan Avila.
After junior shortstop Matt Duffy was intentionally walked, sophomore Ino Patron popped out to Rams shortstop Vimael Macin. Patron’s out set up Metzger’s at-bat against Lees that ended in a walk and wild pitch to score McNeil.
Before Metzger’s heroics in the bottom half of the inning, Dirtbags’ relief pitcher sophomore Josh Frye, who pitched one inning and struck out two in Friday’s affair against VCU came in and shut the door again on the Rams in the ninth inning, inducing a Paul Nice ground ball to third base to end the threat.
“Obviously, that was a big situation and I went into [the at-bat] thinking we all wanted to go home,” Metzger said. “I wanted to end it there and not play [beyond nine innings].
Fellow pitcher, senior Matt Johnson, loaded the bases to start the ninth, allowing three hits to Cujas, Perkins and Macin before Frye was summoned to the hill with two outs.
Prior to Johnson and Frye coming into the game the Long Beach bullpen was unable to hold keep the Dirtbags within striking distance, after sophomore pitcher Jon Maciel gave up the lead in a three-run sixth inning for VCU. The inning marked the second time in as many games the Dirtbags were unable to hold a lead.
Leading off, Rams third baseman Joey Cujas doubled over Dirtbags center fielder Brennan Metzger’s head. Later in the inning, VCU catcher Taylor Perkins singled and was driven home by Macin’s double. Macin rounded the bases and scored on the play, advancing to third base on the throw home. The throw home by McNeil glanced off of sophomore catcher Royce Murai’s foot far enough for Macin to advance home to give VCU a 5-4 lead.
Pinch-hitting in the eighth inning with one out, Dirtbags senior outfielder Jonathan Kim took a pitch from Lees and sent it into right field. The ball caught by Taylor Buran was deep enough to tie up the game 6-6, scoring Metzger from third base.
The inning began with a Metzger single past third baseman Cujas followed by freshman Richard Priganto’s sacrifice bunt, sophomore Jeff Yamaguchi’s single into right field and finally Kim’s sacrifice fly into right for the tying run.
Despite the win the game was riddled with seven total errors, four by Long Beach, including two by McNeil.
“The defense was the problem tonight, but that will get better,” Buckley said.
Starting pitcher Matt Anderson threw 5 1/3 innings allowing only two earned runs, striking out seven while walking none.
The Dirtbags conclude their three-game series with VCU Sunday at Blair Field with the first pitch set for 1:00 p.m.