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The Long Beach State Dirtbags are getting a crash course in baseball being a humbling sport.
After a historic start to the season, the Dirtbags are now on a five-game losing streak after falling to USC 7-3 on Tuesday night on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field.
The Trojans mashed 14 hits but the key to their victory was defensive miscues from the Dirtbags. A pair of throwing errors helped USC score five runs in the third inning.
Runs in the first, fourth and fifth innings were followed by four scoreless frames down the stretch from the Dirtbags offense. LBSU finished with seven hits to USC’s 14 while striking out seven times and stranding nine runners.
Dirtbags coach Bryan Peters thinks the recent offense struggles are not a lack of physical talent but is more of a mental and game plan issue.
“It’s really easy to look at the game and say that without those unearned runs the game would’ve been close, but truthfully our offensive approach is poor,” Peters said. “We’re pretty easy to get out right now and just easy to pitch to. The competitiveness in our at-bats has to improve. We have to make some changes.”
It was a bright start for the Dirtbags as a pair of doubles from Adrian Lopez and John Newman Jr. gave the home team a 1-0 lead. Then after USC took its lead, Armando Briseno scored Nick Marinconz in the fourth, and Connor Charpiot doubled to score Lopez.
The best highlight of the night was a wild 1-2-5-1-6 pickle looked like it got the Dirtbags and starting pitcher Van Larson out of a jam, but as if it were a microcosm of this season, during the next at-bat a wild pitch and an error allowed the Trojans to pull even 1-1.
In a planned bullpen game, the Dirtbags sent seven pitchers to the mound. Larson and Josh Donegan both pitched a pair of innings before Alexander Mihalakis, Jonathan Largaespada, Nathen Morris and Mike Villani all pitched scoreless innings. The LBSU staff struck out 11 Trojans and walked three.
The Dirtbags host CSU Fullerton this weekend for their first Big West series at home.
