Long Beach State trailed 8-0 to UC Santa Barbara in the sixth inning on Friday night at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field, but the Dirtbags scored four runs in the sixth and eighth innings before a bases loaded wild pitch scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth. LBSU (23-26, 8-8) has won five consecutive games for the first time this season.
Dirtbags Brooks Stotler, Jarren Duran, Leonard Jones, Jacob Hughey and Chris Jimenez all had a pair of hits. Jimenez and Clayton Andrews both had two RBIs. The RBI hits from Andrews, Stotler and Duran in the eighth inning all came with two outs.
Hughey led off the ninth with a single up the middle, and Garrett Nelson came in to run for the designated hitter. After a sacrifice bunt from Jimenez, Steven Rivas was intentionally walked. Shaq Robinson walked to load the bases, and Nelson scored on a wild pitch.
UCSB (22-23-1, 7-8) scored all eight of their runs off of LBSU starter Zak Baayoun (5IP, 7ER, 5K, 2BB) but Sebastian Sanchez (3IP, H, 2K, BB) and Chris Rivera (IP, H, 3K) held the Gauchos to three base runners in the final four innings.
“We were fortunate to string some at bats together,” LBSU coach Troy Buckley said. “Neither team played very well but give the our guys credit to have resolve and come back.”
Thanks to Luke Ramirez for additional reporting
