Long Beach State University
5-2
Utah Valley
1-6
Dirtbags Drop Series Finale With Utah Valley
2/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
LONG BEACH, Calif. - The Long Beach State Dirtbags fell 8-3 in the series finale with Utah Valley on Sunday. The Dirtbags (5-2) were within a run late in the game but the Wolverines (1-6) plated four runs in the ninth to help secure their first win of the season.
Free passes dominated the final game of the three-game series between UVU and LBSU. Eleven total pitchers from both sides combined for 19 walks and three hit by pitches. Utah Valley was able to take advantage on the way to the 8-3 win.
The Dirtbags weren't without opportunities in the loss as they left 15 runners on base in the contest. Despite having only four hits, LBSU drew 12 walks for the Utah Valley pitching staff and reached on an error in the eighth. The Dirtbags had a runner on base in every inning except for the fourth and left the bases loaded twice.
Long Beach State jumped on top first when UVU starter Patrick Wolfe walked in a run after walking the bases loaded. Nico Maida drew another bases loaded walk in the seventh to pull the Dirtbags within one.
Utah Valley responded with a pair of runs in the fourth. A couple of hit by pitches and a passed ball on a swinging strikeout loaded the bases for the visitors. Tate Harding dropped in a single to right just in front of a sliding Zack Rivera. Spencer Gothberg then drew a walk to give the Wolverines the lead. An error and failed pickoff attempt in the sixth led to two more runs for Utah Valley and a 4-1 lead.
Wolfe took a no-hitter into the sixth but had issued seven walks through his first five innings. Daniel Jackson broke up the bid to lead off the inning and later scored on Jared James single. Three more walks in the seventh loaded the bases for the Dirtbags with no outs. Maida drew his walk with one out to plate one but Jake Mayer struck out the side to limit the damage on the scoreboard and preserve the UVU lead.
The lead was padded in the ninth after LBSU walked the bases loaded. Utah Valley responded with three run scoring singles to build its lead up to five. Logan Hold let go of an Alex Bishop single in the ninth but kept the Dirtbags off the board and closed the books on his team's first win of the year.
Chris Mathewson made his first career start for the Dirtbags, going four innings while allowing three hits and a walk and striking out one. However, he was pegged with the loss after letting go of the two runs in the fourth.
The Dirtbags hit the road for the first time this season when they head up to UCLA on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. game.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wolfe,Patrick (1-1)
L: Mathewson, Chris (0-1)
Batting:
RBI: Andrus,Kade 1 ; Krueger,Mark 2 ; Atkinson,Jake 1 ; Harding,Tate 2 ; Gothberg,Spencer 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Andrus,Kade 1 ; Rhineer,Seth 2 ; Krueger,Mark 1 ; Atkinson,Jake 1 ; Harding,Tate 1 ; Gothberg,Spencer 1 ; Fuller,Zac 1
SB: Rhineer,Seth 1
HBP: Rhineer,Seth 1 ; Schlehuber,Jordan 1
PO: Fuller,Zac 1
Batting:
RBI: James, Jared 1 ; Jackson, Daniel 1 ; Maida, Nico 1
SH: Domingues, Zack 1
Base Running:
RUNS: James, Jared 1 ; Hampson, Garrett 1 ; Jackson, Daniel 1
SB: Hampson, Garrett 1
HBP: Mercadel, Tristan 1
