Long Beach State University
2-0
Wichita State
0-2
Peppi Blasts Walkoff Two-Run Homer to Beat Wichita State
2/18/2023 10:29:00 PM | Baseball
Rocco Peppi won the series for the Dirtbags with a walkoff home run in the bottom of the ninth.
The night started with Nico Zeglin on the mound to make his Dirtbags debut. The Gonzaga transfer would go on to throw five innings and striking out eight. He allowed just three hits in the outing and one unearned run.
Just as it did on opening night, the offense got the scoring started early. In the bottom of the second, Eddie Saldivar scored a triple into right center to lead off the inning. Connor Burns stepped into the box next and sent a fly ball deep enough for Saldivar to tag and score the first run of the ballgame.
With the bases now clear, Tyler White would reach base on a dropped third strike and show off his speed. On consecutive pitches, the sophomore would steal second and third before coming in to score on a Jashia Morrissey-Jakel groundout.
The 2-0 lead held until the fifth when Wichita State would plate an unearned run after an error and an RBI single to break the shutout.
Majority of the scoring would come in the seventh as the Shockers rallied for three runs in the top half to take a 4-2 lead. However, Long Beach responded with two runs of their own in the bottom to make it a tie game.
In the top of the ninth, Wichita State would start the inning with two singles and a sacrifice bunt to put runners on the corners. A single back up the middle from Brock Rodden would put the Shockers back in front.
Needing one run to force extras or two to win it, the Dirtbags sent the top of their lineup to the plate. After a groundout, Nick Marinconz battled through a tough at-bat sending a single into right field to bring the winning run to the plate.
On a 1-0 count, Peppi got a pitch over the heart of the plate and launched down the left field line for a two-run walkoff home run. It goes as his first dinger of the season, sending the Dirtbags home as 6-5 winners.
WALKOFF JUICE?? pic.twitter.com/x7I9VXAwn6
— LBSU Dirtbags (@LBDirtbags) February 19, 2023
For the night, the hero was 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI. Marinconz joined him with a multi-hit effort of his own going 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.
Saldivar (1-for-3, triple, run scored) and Morrissey-Jakel (1-for-4, run scored, RBI) also recorded knocks in the victory.
The Dirtbags will go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon in a 1 p.m. showdown with Wichita State. The finale will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Levine, Will (1-0)
L: Cranz, Robert (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Tolle, Payton 1
3B: Rodden, Brock 1
RBI: Rodden, Brock 3 ; Herring, David 1
SH: Herring, David 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rodden, Brock 1 ; Millan, Mauricio 3 ; McDonald, Kyte 1
CS: Rodden, Brock 1
HBP: Herring, David 1
Batting:
3B: Saldivar, Eddie 1
HR: Peppi, Rocco 1
RBI: Marinconz, Nick 1 ; Peppi, Rocco 2 ; Long, Jonathon 1 ; Burns, Connor 1 ; Morrissey-Jakel, Jashia 1
SF: Burns, Connor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Marinconz, Nick 1 ; Peppi, Rocco 1 ; Saldivar, Eddie 1 ; White, Tyler 2 ; Morrissey-Jakel, Jashia 1
SB: White, Tyler 2
HBP: Peppi, Rocco 1 ; Saldivar, Eddie 1 ; White, Tyler 1
