Baseball, Men's Sports, Sports

Dirtbags end losing streak with sweep

After enduring a six-game losing streak, the Dirtbags needed a fresh start.

They got one.

Long Beach State (9-11) actually got a pair of good starts, as starting pitchers Shane Carle and Jake Stassi each pitched well en route to wins on Friday and Saturday. The Dirtbags then completed a sweep of Wichita State with an 11-hit performance Sunday afternoon.

“Our focus after [Tuesday’s loss to Loyola Marymount] was kind of a new season,” LBSU head coach Troy Buckley said. “Forget about your stats and performances, good or bad, to that point, and let’s build on the next day, and that was kind of what our focus was.”

Buckley’s refocused group managed to not only break its losing streak but also find a hitting groove, as it accumulated 30 hits throughout the series against the Shockers (11-8).

“I think our at-bats got better late,” Buckley said after a 3-1 win on Saturday. “We started seeing the ball up a little bit, and we worked over the ball a little better. It’s just trying to get them to stop worrying about results even though this is a total result-driven game.”

The Dirtbags’ offense got some help from the pitching staff, as Carle and Stassi gave up just one run apiece in the games they pitched.

“We got really good pitching,” Buckley said. “That’s going to keep you in games. It’s going to allow you to get some opportunities on the offensive side of the ball.”

Carle threw a gem on Friday night, as he went seven innings and gave up just one unearned run on three hits. He also had seven strikeouts while second baseman Jeff McNeil led the Dirtbags offensively with four hits, two RBI and a run.

Stassi followed up Carle with a great outing of his own on Saturday. He also threw seven innings, giving up one run on six hits and striking out six in the process.

“I knew I had to come in and throw three pitches for strikes and couldn’t just rely on the fastball,” Stassi said. “It feels really good to get us back in the win column, not just from a personal standpoint, but as a team.”

Pitching wasn’t as strong early on in the series finale on Sunday. Freshman David Hill, who made his first career start after working from the bullpen the rest of the season, gave up three runs in the first three innings.

“I thought he was a little antsy,” Buckley said. “I thought he was a little over his emotional line, if you will, being on Redbull or whatever it may be.”

The Dirtbags were right there to back him up on offense though, as they scored four runs in the first two innings thanks to contributions from throughout the lineup.

“That was a great energy inning,” Buckley said. “Those two innings, especially after we gave up a run, was great for them to come back and win that inning.”

LBSU will try to keep its momentum going when it hits the road for a Tuesday game at San Diego State. The Dirtbags will then return to Blair Field for the always-anticipated home series with Cal State Fullerton.

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