Freshman Jon Macial struck out three in just over an inning on the mound. The Bruins struggled with Long Beach pitching all night. Photos by Dale Brown
The Long Beach State Dirtbags posted two runs in the first inning and didn’t look back, holding off No. 13 UCLA to take a crucial 4-2 victory at Blair Field on Tuesday night as they look to stay above .500 and make a run at the approaching postseason.
Senior outfielder Matt Hibbert scored on a sacrifice fly from freshman first baseman Ino Patron, and Jeff McNeil then came home on a Matt Duffy single to give the Dirtbags a quick 2-0 lead in the opening stanza.
Then in the fourth inning, junior outfielder Brennan Metzger walked, stole second – his team-leading tenth stolen bag of the season – and advanced to third base on a wild pitch. A grounder from Johnny Bekakis brought Metzger in, and Mike Marjama later that inning scored Hibbert again for a 4-0 lead that Long Beach (24-22) would not relinquish.
The lead was bolstered by a stellar performance from junior Shawn Stuart (3-3), who allowed just two hits in five scoreless innings on the mound. He struck out four and walked just two – both in the first inning, when a double play ball rescued Stuart from an early jam. Junior reliever Branden Pinder came on late to earn his first save of the season.
The Bruins (27-17) could never find a stroke, scoring two in the late innings when Stuart was retired for the night, but notched just five hits all night. Bruins freshman Zack Weiss (5-2) earned just his second loss of the season.
Both teams missed plenty of scoring opportunities, with Long Beach stranding eight players on base and UCLA failing to score nine.
The Dirtbags next face a tough three-game road swing at rival Cal State Fullerton, with the first game at 7:00pm this Friday.
Junior Mitchel Beacom finished the game for UCLA, but starter Zack Weiss earned his second loss of the season.
Freshman infielder Johnny Bekakis added his seventh RBI of the season in the fourth inning to give Long Beach the victory.
The Bruins struggled at the plate and left nine runners stranded on base.