Offensive Burst Backs Brown In 7-2 Win Over Michigan

Saturday, February 14

Long Beach, Calif.

2:00 PM

Long Beach State University

2-0

Michigan

0-2

Michigan

Long Beach State

Jared James had two hits and scored three times.

2/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Feb. 14, 2015

Box Score | Photo Gallery

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Tanner Brown was lights out in his debut and the offense burst to life behind him as the Long Beach State Dirtbags took game two of the three-game series 7-2 over Michigan on Saturday. The Dirtbags (2-0) piled on five early runs and never looked back as the clinched the season-opening series win.

Brown was dominant in his first start as a Dirtbag, limiting Michigan (0-2) to just two hits and one run over six innings to get his first win of the young season. Following the tone of Kyle Friedrichs start last night, Brown fanned eight batters and did not issue a walk.

He had the support of an early offensive outburst that spotted him a two-run lead right out of the gates. Sophomore Garrett Hampson drove in three of the Dirtbags runs to support Brown's strong start. His grounder to short in the first scored Jared James, who had doubled to lead off the inning. He was hit by a pitch in the second with the bases loaded to drive in another run and he blooped a single in the fifth to add on to the Dirtbag lead.

Hampson also went on to score in the first on a sacrifice fly from Zack Rivera, who was 2-for-4 with a run scored.

A couple of errors in the third ended up costing Michigan two runs. Rivera and Daniel Jackson singled to start the inning but Jackson's hit deep in the hole to short was picked up and thrown away, allowing runners to reach second and third. Tristan Mercadel later hit a grounder to short but the throw home sailed to the backstop allowing both Rivera and Jackson to score.

Michigan had four errors in the contest with a couple of failed pickoff attempts in the later innings.

Brown was in cruise control after the third when Cody Bruder singled in a run. He retired the next seven batters in order to finish out his day. The Dirtbags added Hampson's RBI single in the sixth and Zack Belanger's pinch hit RBI single in the eighth to pad their lead.

Michigan used four pitchers in the game but Long Beach State was able to touch all of them for at least one run. Starting pitcher Keith Lehmann lasted just 1.2 innings and took the loss after surrendering three runs.

Ryan Cruz finished out the game with a three-inning save. He allowed an RBI double to pinch hitter Josh Slater but settled in and retired seven of the last eight batters he faced.

Michigan and Long Beach State conclude their three-game series tomorrow with first pitch scheduled at 1 p.m.