Long Beach State University
6-7
Gonzaga
11-3
Five Home Runs Power Dirtbags to 13-3 Win over No. 15 Gonzaga
3/12/2022 6:56:00 PM | Baseball
Chase Luttrell and Rocco Peppi provided the bulk of the production, combining to go 6-for-7 with four home runs, 10 RBI, and six runs scored. For Luttrell, it is the first multi-homer game of his career while setting a new career-high in RBI (5) and total bases (10). Peppi notches the first two home runs of his collegiate career while also recording career-highs in hits (3), RBI (5) and total bases (9).
Luttrell got the offense going in the third, hitting his first two-run homer of the day to right field. It registered at 105 mph off the bat and went 413 feet into the Jered Weaver Bullpen. He made it back-to-back two-run bombs in consecutive innings hitting another home run to right field in the third.
. @chaseluttrell22's last two ABs:
— LBSU Dirtbags (@LBDirtbags) March 13, 2022
2-run HR. 105mph. 413 feet.
2-run HR. 103mph. 419 feet. pic.twitter.com/kKhBptAwWk
Jonathon Long also connected for a homer in the fourth, sending a solo shot to the street beyond the left field wall. It is the fourth home run of the year for the sophomore infielder.
Peppi's first homer of the day came in the fifth inning on a missile down the left field line. His first career homer was clocked at 106 mph off the bat and gave the Dirtbags a 6-0 lead through five.
Juice's first career HR got out in a hurry ??@RoccoPeppi pic.twitter.com/gTLbdZOIsL
— LBSU Dirtbags (@LBDirtbags) March 13, 2022
In the sixth, Gonzaga broke Jack Noble's shutout with a pair of unearned runs to make it 6-2. The LBSU right-hander turned in another quality start with six innings, allowing just the two runs on six hits while striking out three. He is now 3-0 on the year and won both of his starts this season.
Long Beach State answered back in the bottom half of the sixth with four three runs on Peppi's second homer of the day. The redshirt freshman has seen his season batting average sky rocket up to .362 with multi-hit performances in five of his last six games.
After the Zags pushed a run across against Ethan Clough in the top half of the seventh, the offense answered with four more runs in the bottom half. After a Connor Burns single, Luttrell doubled in the first run of the inning followed by a Peppi RBI single for the second. Tyler Porter joined the action with an RBI triple down the right field line before scoring on a Peyton Schulze RBI double to left-center.
The 13-3 score held from there as Clough registered a pair of scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth to record the three-inning save. He allowed just the one run on five hits while picking up a strikeout.
Luttrell finished the game 3-for-3 with three runs scored, five RBI, and a pair of walks. He now owns a 25-game hitting streak and 34-game reached base streak going back to last season.
Long also turned in a three-hit game, going 3-for-5 with the solo home run while Porter was 2-for-3 after entering the game as a pinch hitter early on. Alex Pimentel broke out of his slump with a 2-for-4 game while Tanner Carlson stayed red hot in the nine-hole, going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.
The Dirtbags and Zags will meet again tomorrow in the series finale. The rubber match at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field will be live on ESPN+ with first pitch at 1:00 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Noble, Jack (3-0)
L: WILD, Owen (1-1)
S: Clough, Ethan (1)
Batting:
2B: RANDO, Tyler 1 ; PINALES, Savier 1
RBI: RANDO, Tyler 1 ; MCGEE, Cade 1
SF: RANDO, Tyler 1
Base Running:
RUNS: RANDO, Tyler 1 ; STERLING, Grayson 1 ; COBALLES, Connor 1
HBP: RANDO, Tyler 1
Batting:
2B: Luttrell, Chase 1 ; Schulze, Peyton 1 ; Pimentel, Alex 1
3B: Porter, Tyler 1
HR: Luttrell, Chase 2 ; Peppi, Rocco 2 ; Long, Jonathon 1
RBI: Luttrell, Chase 5 ; Peppi, Rocco 5 ; Porter, Tyler 1 ; Schulze, Peyton 1 ; Long, Jonathon 1
SH: Saldivar, Eddie 1 ; Burns, Connor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Luttrell, Chase 3 ; Saldivar, Eddie 1 ; Peppi, Rocco 3 ; Porter, Tyler 1 ; Long, Jonathon 1 ; Pimentel, Alex 1 ; Burns, Connor 1 ; Carlson, Tanner 2
HBP: Peppi, Rocco 1
