The Dirtbags overcame an opening loss to Cal State Northridge and won their first series of Big West Confernece play behind some of their best hitting of the season.
Long Beach State (11-16, 2-1 Big West) took two out of three from the Matadors (12-14) at Blair Field thanks to 26 runs and 37 hits over the series.
An unusually poor performance by ace starter Shane Carle on Thursday led to the Dirtbags’ only loss in the series. Carle gave up nine earned runs in four and two thirds innings piched, two more than he had given up all of the rest of the season.
“[Carle] wasn’t able to pitch with his fastball,” LBSU head coach Troy Buckley said. “It was an uncharacteristic night for him and a bad start to conference.”
The Dirtbags quickly got the bad taste of Thursday’s 10-5 loss out of their mouths though, as they exploded for 14 runs on 16 hits in a big 14-2 win on Friday. The highlight of the night was an inside-the-park home run by shortstop Michael Hill in the eighth.
“That was cool,” Buckley said. “Hill can run, and he probably needed oxygen after.”
Hill, who wasn’t expected to be the Dirtbags’ primary source of offense coming into the season, now leads the team in batting average (.XXX) and home runs (2).
“Now I lead the team in home runs, and that’s what we’re all joking about in the locker room,” Hill said.
Also playing well in Friday’s win was starting pitcher Jake Stassi. Stassi, who has earned a starting job after pitching from the bullpen before, gave up just one run in six and two thirds innings.
“I was definitely aiming for [the starting] role,” Stassi said. “It’s what I want to do and what I’m best at.”
LBSU got another good start in Saturday’s rubber match when freshman pitcher David Hill earned his first collegeiate win. Hill gave up three earned runs in 6.1 innings and had plenty of run support, as the Dirtbags scored five runs in the first three innings.
“The Dirtbag mindset is ‘always down by two’,” David Hill said, “but [the run support] does help. When you have that support you can be more simple and don’t have to be perfect.”
The Beach would go on to win 7-5 and win its first series of conference play.
The Dirtbags will go for a sweep of last-place Pacific next weekend when they travel to Stockton for their second series of Big West play.