Long Beach State University
16-24, 6-10
UC Irvine
23-16, 9-7
Dirtbags Take Game One of Black and Blue Rivalry Series with 6-2 Win
4/29/2022 10:18:00 PM | Baseball
Long Beach State snapped their 10-game losing streak on Friday night taking game one against UC Irvine..
Long Beach State got the scoring started in the bottom half of the first. With the bases loaded on three infield singles, Chase Luttrell came through with a sac fly to right field to put the Dirtbags in front early. They would add to their lead in third inning on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.
UC Irvine rallied for two in the fourth to tie things up. However, back-to-back doubles from Sebastian Murillo and Jonathon Long put the 'Bags back out in front in the bottom of the fifth.
Connor Burns added to the lead in the bottom of the sixth with his first home run of the season. The sophomore catcher smoked it 102mph off the bat to straight away center for a two-run shot giving Long Beach State a three-run lead.
BURNSY BOMB ?? pic.twitter.com/gtIEzHg4cX
— LBSU Dirtbags (@LBDirtbags) April 30, 2022
For good measure, Chase Luttrell belted a home run of his own in the bottom of the seventh to make it 6-2. With the homer, the fourth year junior matched his career-best with eight home runs this season and is now one shy of joining the program's top ten for most homers in a career.
Pretty sure this one went into orbit ??@chaseluttrell22 https://t.co/OuIFgxvPDA pic.twitter.com/gDwMmoctwa
— LBSU Dirtbags (@LBDirtbags) April 30, 2022
The trio of Jonathan Carlos, Jack Noble, and Matt Fields were lights out on the mound allowing just two unearned runs on two hits while striking out a season-best 15 hitters.
Carlos got the start, punching out nine in just 3.2 innings of work. The night marked new career-highs in strikeouts, innings pitched, and pitches thrown for the junior right-hander. He handed the ball of to Jack Noble who was near perfect for three-plus innings retiring 10 of the 11 batters he faced. Fields closed things out with two scoreless frames to secure the 6-2 win for the Dirtbags.
Jon Jon strikes out the side in the first ?? pic.twitter.com/Q3LXIuw2WD
— LBSU Dirtbags (@LBDirtbags) April 30, 2022
The victory snaps Long Beach State's 10-game losing streak, the longest for the program since the 2019 season. The six runs on the night also snaps a streak of the Dirtbag offense scoring three runs or less in nine consecutive ballgames.
The Dirtbags will look to take the black and blue rivalry series tomorrow afternoon. First pitch from Bohl Diamond at Blair Field is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Noble, Jack (4-4)
L: Pinto, Nick (1-4)
Batting:
RBI: Fitzgerald, Ben 1 ; Hadeen, Woody 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kendle, Caden 1 ; Smith, Myles 1
SB: Church, Nathan 1
HBP: Hadeen, Woody 1
Batting:
2B: Murillo, Sebastian 1 ; Peppi, Rocco 1 ; Long, Jonathon 1
HR: Luttrell, Chase 1 ; Burns, Connor 1
RBI: Luttrell, Chase 2 ; Long, Jonathon 1 ; Burns, Connor 2
SH: Long, Jonathon 1
SF: Luttrell, Chase 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Saldivar, Eddie 1 ; Murillo, Sebastian 1 ; Peppi, Rocco 1 ; Luttrell, Chase 1 ; White, Tyler 1 ; Burns, Connor 1
SB: Schulze, Peyton 1 ; White, Tyler 1
HBP: Luttrell, Chase 1 ; Schulze, Peyton 1
