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Storage buckets and water coolers took the worst of the frustration that Long Beach State Dirtbags and coach TJ Bruce showed after Monday night’s 3-2 loss to Tulaneon Bohl Diamond at Blair Field.
The Dirtbags (5-7) dropped the weekend series to Michigan on Sunday in a one-run loss, and this is the third consecutive defeat in which LBSU fell behind early.
Tulane (9-3) scored in the top of the first inning off of Dirtbags’ starter Ka’imi Kahalekai. Kaikea Harrison doubled home Tanner Chun with a 2-out hit. Michael Lombardi tried to score on the play, but shortstop Trotter Enright threw him out at the plate.
The first eight Dirtbags batters were retired by Tulane starter J.D. Rodriguez (5 IP H, 4 K) before Blaise Wilcensk pitched three scoreless innings and two strikeouts.
In the top of the fourth inning, Nate Johnson’s two-out RBI single pushed the lead to 2-0.
Nathan Cadena was hit by a pitch to begin the bottom of the fourth. Alex Champagne reached on a Rodriguez fielding error, and Cadena took second. But Dylan Lina failed to put down a bunt and ended up grounding into a 4-6-3 double play. Cadena was stranded on third after Luke Taylor’s ground out ended the inning.
Before the fifth inning started, Bruce benched Lina and replaced him with Easton Elliot because of the failed bunt attempt.
“Unfortunately there’s one person in this program that’s been in the highest level of (college baseball) and that’s myself,” Bruce said. “It’s the little things that need to happen in practice and consistently in order to get ready and get results. It’s never the one play, but we had first and second with no outs and we couldn’t execute an early show bunt. My 11-year old can execute that.”
Tulane scored in the eighth to make it 3-0. In the bottom of the ninth, Cadena, Champagne and Carter Benrook loaded the bases with a walk, a single and a hit by pitch.
Taylor singled through the middle to drive in Cadena and Champagne to make it 3-2 while Samayoa advanced to third.
The Green Wave called in lefty Taylor Montiel, who moved from center field to the mound to face pinch-hitter Connor Charpiot pinch-hit for Matt Toomey. A Lombardi wild pitch allowed pinch-runner Justin Roulston to move to second, but a few strikeouts ended the game and gave Lombardi his third save of the season.
On Sunday, the Dirtbags also had a ninth inning rally from 7-2 down to 7-6 against Michigan.
“We didn’t do enough in the beginning of the game,” Charpiot said. “We had a half inning of fight, and we had that in the past two games, but we’ve got to have more fight in the beginning of the game. As an older guy there these guys are looking to me to come through, and I haven’t and as we go forward I’ve got to be better. It’s as simple as that.”
Cadena and Enright combined for four of the six LBSU hits (two each).
The Dirtbags start Big West Conference play at #18/25 UC Irvine this weekend.
