Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
1-0
Michigan
0-1
Friedrichs Fans 10, Dirtbags Comeback For Opening Night Win
2/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
LONG BEACH, Calif. - A patient approach turned the game around as the Long Beach State Dirtbags came back for a 3-2 opening day win over visiting Michigan on Friday. The Dirtbags (1-0) drew 11 walks in the game - two bringing in runs - to erase an erase deficit and support a strong effort on the mound.
The pitching started with a career-best outing out of senior Kyle Friedrichs. Friedrichs, who has primarily pitched in relief through his entire career, struck out a career-best 10 batters over six innings to get the opening day win on the mound. Dirtbags pitchers went on to strikeout 14 Michigan batters in the game compared to just four walks.
Michigan (0-1) climbed on top early with a pair of doubles in the top of the first. Travis Maezes traded places with Cody Bruder to take the early lead. Two quiet frames later, Kendall Patrick smack a double to left and scored on Drew Lugbauer's single.
The Dirtbags only had four hits in the contest but waited patiently at the plate as Michigan starter Drew Adcock started losing control in the fifth. He had allowed only a Nolan Meadows single and a walk to Daniel Jackson through the first four innings.
In the fifth, a walk to Meadows was erased when Adcock snagged a hard comebacker and started a double play. However, the undeterred Dirtbags, who scored all of their runs with two outs, started putting runners on base again.
Tristan Mercadel walked and Jonathan Serven singled. A walk to Jared James loaded the bases and Zack Domingues drew a bases loaded walk to get the Dirtbags on the board. Michigan went to the bullpen but Matt Ogden walked Garrett Hampson to tie up the game at 2-2 before getting out of the inning.
Ogden retired the first two in the sixth but then walked Zack Rivera. Mercadel promptly hit a liner down the right field line to bring Rivera all the way around to score while Mercadel ended up on third with a triple.
Michigan threatened in the eighth as the Wolverines had runners on second and third with no outs before the Dirtbags called on Ty Provencher to get out of the jam. Provencher struck out the first batter he faced but walked Lugbauer to load the bases. Another strikeout had him one out away from wiggling out of the jam and a bouncer to short ended the inning with the Dirtbags lead still intact.
Provencher shut down Michigan again in the ninth to secure the win and his first save of the season in front of an excited crowd of 2,159 at Blair Field.
The Dirtbags will host Michigan again tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Friedrichs, Kyle (1-0)
L: Ogden, Matt (0-1)
S: Provencher, Ty (1)
Batting:
2B: Cronenworth, Jacob 1 ; Bruder, Cody 1 ; Maezes, Travis 1 ; Patrick, Kendall 1
RBI: Maezes, Travis 1 ; Lugbauer, Drew 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bruder, Cody 1 ; Patrick, Kendall 1
HBP: Patrick, Kendall 1
PO: Lugbauer, Drew 1
Batting:
2B: Rivera, Zack 1
3B: Mercadel, Tristan 1
RBI: Domingues, Zack 1 ; Hampson, Garrett 1 ; Mercadel, Tristan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rivera, Zack 1 ; Mercadel, Tristan 1 ; Serven, Jonathan 1
CS: Domingues, Zack 1
