Another Close Game But Dirtbags Fall In Finale

Saturday, April 19

Long Beach, Calif.

2:00 PM

Long Beach State University

18-19, 5-4

UC Santa Barbara

24-10, 5-7

UC Santa Barbara

Long Beach State

Colby Brenner walked and singled in the game.

4/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

April 19, 2014

Box Score

LONG BEACH, Calif. - A low-scoring series came to a close with another tight game but for the first time the Long Beach State Dirtbags came out on the wrong end of it. The Dirtbags (18-19, 5-3 Big West) fell 2-1 in the series finale to 17th-ranked UC Santa Barbara.

UCSB (24-10, 5-7 Big West) manufactured two early runs to avoid the series sweep at Blair Field. A single and a double with one out in the third turned into the game's first run on Robby Nesovic's chopper back to the mound. After knocking down the comebacker, Dirtbag starter Nick Sabo was able to jump behind the mound and pick up the deflected ball in time to retire Nesovic. Devon Gradford hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth for the Gauchos second run.

After the fourth, the Dirtbag bullpen took over and did not allow a runner past second base the rest of the way. Ty Provencher tossed three scoreless innings and Logan Lombana finished off the final two innings and allowed just one hit.

The Dirtbags sputtered a bit offensively as Gaucho starter Shane Bieber threw a solid eight innings. Bieber allowed just four hits in the eight innings and fanned eight without issuing a walk. He allowed only two runners as far as third and the Dirtbags turned one into their only run.

Michael Hill singled to lead off the fifth inning. After stealing second, he was sacrificed over to third. Johnny Bekakis then hit a grounder to short, allowing Hill to score from third. However, the Dirtbags would be held out of scoring position for the rest of the game and without a hit over the final three innings.

The Dirtbags will head down to San Diego on Monday for a game with the University of San Diego before coming back to Blair Field for another Big West weekend series with No. 3 Cal Poly.