Dirtbags Drop Opener After Late UCR Rally

Friday, April 17

Long Beach, Calif.

6:00 PM

Long Beach State University

19-14, 5-5

UC Riverside

11-24, 1-6

UC Riverside

Long Beach State

Lombana allowed only a hit in 1.2 scoreless innings.

4/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

April 17, 2015

Box Score

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- A three-run rally proved to be just enough for UC Riverside as the Long Beach State Dirtbags fell 3-2 in Friday's series opener. Both Dirtbags runs came in the first inning while the Highlanders (11-24, 1-6 Big West) scored all of theirs in the seventh.

The first two Dirtbags who came to the plate came around to score but that would be all Long Beach State (19-14, 5-5 Big West) could push across the plate. Garrett Hampson and Tristan Mercadel opened with back-to-back singles to put runners on first and third. Zack Rivera's sacrifice fly scored Hampson and Brock Lundquist's single put runners on the corners again with one out.

Lundquist took off for second during the next at bat and when the throw went across the diamond, Mercadel sprinted home to pull off the double steal.

With a 2-0 lead, starter Kyle Friedrichs cruised through the first six innings. He allowed only one hit in the first six innings when a routine fly ball to left was lost in the sun. He struck out four and issued a rare walk (just his sixth of the season and the first in four Big West starts).

UCR starter Joie Dunyon matched him step for step after the first as he retired 14 in a row between the second and seventh innings. With Dunyon keeping the Highlanders in striking distance, UCR struck for three runs on five hits in the seventh. Robby Witt snuck a double down the line and over the bag at third to bring in the first run and Dante Chupek copied his teammate for a two-run double just two batters later.

Alex Rubanowitz scored all the way from first as the ball rolled into the corner. He barely snuck under the tag at home for the go-ahead run. Friedrichs escaped the jam to keep the Dirtbags with a run.

Logan Lombana pitched an inning and two-thirds scoreless and Austin McGeorge came in to get the last out of the ninth but Daniel Jackson cut down a runner at third to end the frame.

The Dirtbags nearly tied the game up in the bottom of the seventh after Jackson hustled out a double to the right center gap with one out. Zack Domingues smacked a grounder down the first base line but Rubanowitz made a diving stop and stepped on his base to end the inning.

A single and a walk had the winning run aboard in the ninth. Closer Ryan Lillie hopped off the mound and retired the lead runner at third on a sacrifice bunt attempt and struck out the next two batters to get his fifth save of the year and end the threat.

Long Beach State and UC Riverside meet again tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. at Blair Field.