Usually when you give up ten unanswered runs, you know how that game’s going to end…that wasn’t the case for the Dirtbags Saturday evening as they pulled off a strange victory over Cal Poly. Long Beach State turned the tables thanks to freshman Kirk Singer, winning 13-12 on a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning. The final hit was the seventh RBI for Singer on a 3-for-4 day.
Singer was part of a trio of players with three hits, as Taylor Krick doubled with a pair of singles and Jordan Casas was a home run short of the cycle. Both Krick and Casas drove in a pair of runs for the Dirtbags.
Krick reached on an error to start the ninth with the score tied at 12, Scorching a ball to first base, Wes Dorrell who made a great stop but botched the flip to the pitcher to start the inning. The Mustangs committed another error trying to catch the lead runner Krick on a bunt, and a sacrifice by Tre Dennis gave the Dirtbags runners on second and third with one out.
The Mustangs walked pinch hitter John Hill to get to Singer. The freshman, who already had six RBI on the day and a number of nice plays in the field, drove a 3-2 fastball up the middle to give Long Beach State a 13-12 win.
David Born collected the win after getting Long Beach State out of a jam in the top half of the ninth, striking out Kyle Smith with runners on second and third.
Cal Poly jumped out to an early lead in the first inning. A leadoff walk to Ryan Lee hurt The Beach, as he came around to score on a single by Adam Buschini after being pushed to second, and a double by cleanup hitter Dorrell added another run as the Mustangs took an early 2-0 lead.
Long Beach State recovered with a big inning in the bottom half of the second. Taylor Krick started the inning with a single, and then, with the bases loaded, Singer doubled down the line, clearing the bases and giving the Dirtbags the lead.
A second straight double added another run, and an RBI single from Devin Lohman scored Jordan Casas after his two-bagger to put Long Beach State in front 5-2. With two runners on, Krick came around for a second time and drove in two more runs with a standup double as Long Beach State put across seven in the inning.
A walk and a hit batter got a Mustang rally started in the third inning, with a double by Bobby Crocker scoring two runs, part of four for Cal Poly in the frame, cutting the Long Beach State to one at 7-6.
A leadoff double in the sixth inning spelled trouble for the Dirtbags after two innings of solid relief by Anthony Carillo. Lee singled to score J.J. Thompson, tying the game at seven, and then a single with the bases loaded put the Mustangs ahead 9-7. Cal Poly would continue to score unearned runs, moving across three more runs on four consecutive hits to regain the lead 12-7.
A double steal by Tre Dennis and Trever Blood after a single and a walk set the stage for Long Beach State in the bottom of the sixth to cut into the lead. A sacrifice fly by Singer scored Dennis, and a triple from Casas brought home Blood as the Dirtbags edged closer at 12-9.
The Dirtbags completed the comeback in the bottom of the seventh. TJ Mittelstaedt doubled to start the inning, part of three straight hits for Long Beach State, bringing home a run and putting runners on second and third with one out. Kirk Singer then singled through the left side, scoring Krick and Hoime to tie the game at 12.
The final home game for Long Beach State is set for Sunday as the Dirtbags close out their series with the Mustangs. First pitch is set for 1 p.m., and the team will be honoring its six seniors in a ceremony prior to the start of the game.
From LBSU reports