Click here for postgame audio with Jake Thompson and Mike Weathers
A noticeably bigger Jake Thompson was effective and efficient Friday evening in front of 1,974 at Blair Field. The junior from Wilson pitched his first complete game as a member of the Dirtbags, giving up just one run on three hits while striking out six, and LBSU walked away 2-1 winners against Pepperdine.
Thompson didn’t run into much trouble through the first six innings but worked out of jams in the seventh and eighth with big strikeouts and struck out the final batter in each of the last three frames.
After the first two batters reached in the seventh, Pepperdine pushed one across via a sacrifice and a fielder’s choice. A head’s up play by Lohman cut down the lead remaining runner attempting to go from second to third. The runner from third broke for home and scored but Lohman fielded the ball in the hole and threw to Joey Terdoslavich at third who flipped it to Derek Legg who applied the tag. Thompson struck out the next batter to preserve the lead.
With the rain really coming down in the top of the eighth and the Waves threatening after a two-out double and a wild pitch, Thompson went to work again and after a lengthy battle got the swinging strikeout bringing the crowd to its feet.
On his last pitch – and 105th of the game – big number 36 fired a 95 mile per hour fastball past Ryan Heroy for the win and the exclamation point.
Earlier this week Weathers stressed how Thompson needed to learn how to win as a Dirtbag. He took a big step in that direction tonight.
LBSU got on the board quickly in the first. Leadoff man Brennan Metzger singled to left, went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jordan Casas and moved up another ninety feet on a wild pitch. Devin Lohman roped a base hit to left and Metzger trotted home.
The recipe for a run was similiar in the third when Metzger got aboard after being plunked by a pitch. An infield hit from Casas put him in scoring position and Lohman loaded the bases with a single into left. Terdsolavich struck out looking and Tinoco hit a ground ball to first but Pepperdine was only able to cut down Lohman at second and Metzger came across to score and the Dirtbags had themselves a lead they would not relinquish.
Second baseman Derek Legg added a pair of hits from the six spot.
As good as Thompson was on the mound he also was aided by a couple of great defensive plays behind him. In addition to that play in the seventh Lohman came up firing to beat a few runners trying to leg out infield hits and Casas made a tremendous diving catch of a ball coming in from center with one out in the top of the eighth.
It was a tough night for the new members of the Dirtbag line-up, Terdoslavich and DH Juan Avila, who went a combined 0-for-6. Terdoslavich, the switch-hitting transfer from Miami (FL) did however hit a towering drive to straightaway center that went all the way to the warning track in the first.
Cole Cook was the tough-luck loser for the Waves going seven innings and giving up just two runs. He allowed seven hits but also struck out seven Dirtbag hitters.
Sophomore Drew Gagnon takes the mound for LBSU tomorrow in a 5:30 game against the University of Oregon.