Extras Needed Again But Dirtbags Fall To Even Series

Saturday, March 21

Long Beach, Calif.

2:00 PM

Long Beach State University

11-8

Cal State Fullerton

11-10

Cal State Fullerton

Long Beach State

3/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 21, 2015

Box Score

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Extra innings were needed once more but this time visiting Cal State Fullerton was able to pull out the dramatic 2-1 victory over Long Beach State. The Titans (11-10) evened the series with the Dirtbags (11-8) after the second extra inning affair in as many days.

The Titans scored first when Timmy Richards scored on Scott Hurst's double play ball in the third. The Dirtbags answered when Tristan Mercadel doubled in Alex Bishop in the fifth.

The pitching took over once more as the next four frames went scoreless. Justin Garza started for the Titans and scattered six hits over seven innings before handing the ball over to Maxwell Gibbs. Tanner Brown scattered five hits over six innings for the Dirtbags before turning it over to Austin McGeorge for a scoreless inning and Ryan Cruz for two more scoreless.

The Dirtbags pitchers received some outstanding defensive help behind them as Long Beach State twice cut down the go-ahead run at the plate and threw out another runner trying to pad the lead in the 10th.

With two on and two out in the ninth, Josh Estill singled to right for the Titans and Tyler Stieb was waved home. Zack Rivera came up throwing and fired a strike to Eric Hutting, who applied the tag at the plate to end the inning.

The Dirtbags had a chance to tie it in the ninth but left the winning run on third. Ty Provencher took over on the mound in the 10th but dug himself a hole as he hit a batter, surrendered a single and walked another to load the bases with one out. Tanner Pinkston knocked a sharp grounder up the middle but Zack Domingues was able to make a diving stop and throw home in time to get the first out of the inning.

With the bases still loaded, AJ Kennedy worked a full count and drew the bases loaded walk from Provencher to drive in the go-ahead run. Rivera saved another run moments later as he caught Stieb's fly ball to right and cut down Taylor Bryant at the plate.

The Dirtbags threatened in the bottom half after a leadoff single from Hutting and a one-out single from Jonathan Serven put two aboard. Both runners moved up on Hampson's chopper to second but Tyler Peitzmeier worked out of the jam and earned his seventh save as he snagged Domingues' comebacker to end the game.

After two extra inning games in the series, the Dirtbags and Titans will decide the series winner tomorrow as they square off again at 1 p.m.