It was anything but a tepid Tuesday for Dirtbag baseball, outlasting Pepperdine 7-5 in 12 innings but losing their head coach Troy Buckley before the game even started. Assistant coach Jesse Zepeda ran the club in Buckley’s absence and had a lot of buttons to push. The Niners, who have now won six of their last seven, used five pitchers and 13 hitters. The game took 3:19 and the shadows began to overtake the diamond when Nate Underwood closed the deal.
 
The Buckley matter was discussed more quickly. It came in a 46-word message from AD Vic Cegles via the staff member in charge of baseball, Bill Brady, Sr. Associate Athletics Director. “Long Beach State Athletic Director Vic Cegles has suspended head base ball coach Troy Buckley for today’s baseball contest against Pepperdine University for violating department standards pertaining to NCAA compliance.” Vic states, “We have high expectations for our coaches and staff for meeting all NCAA requirements.”  One insider suggested that the issue dealt with a technicality on practice time, an issue more in the news for football programs.

For the game details, the LBSU staff reports tell the story.

Mike Marjama’s RBI double provided the winning run as Long Beach State won in 12 innings, beating Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif. 7-5. Kirk Singer’s solo home run and run- scoring grounder to right field were keys to creating the tie in regulation.

A team effort was the key for the Dirtbags as Long Beach State set a season high in hits with 13, including two hits each for Marjama, Johnny Bekakis, Matt Hibbert and Jeff Yamaguchi.

Miles Silverstein provided some early pop for the Waves, hitting a full-count pitch down the left-field line that just cleared the wall for a solo home run as Pepperdine finished the first inning with a 1-0 lead.

The Dirtbags tied the game in the fifth inning following the departure of Waves starter Matt Maurer, who threw four scoreless innings for the Waves. Yamaguchi welcomed reliever Cody Dickerson with a double down the line to left field, and Bekakis followed with a grounder that slipped under the glove of Silverstein at third base to put two runners in scoring position.

An RBI groundout then scored Yamaguchi, but with two outs, Silverstein redeemed himself at third base, snaring a hard line drive by Brennan Metzger and keeping the go-ahead run from scoring.

Matt Duffy got the Dirtbags started in the sixth inning with a one-out single, and a walk followed by a second single from Ino Patron loaded the bases for Long Beach State. The Waves were able to record the second out, but an RBI single by Bekakis brought home Duffy as Long Beach State took their first lead of the game 2-1. 



Singer’s solo home run in the seventh inning added another run for the Dirtbags, but Pepperdine answered back in the bottom half. A walk and a single, followed by an error on a bunt loaded the bases with no outs in the inning. Long Beach State picked up one out, but a single, a sacrifice fly and a two-run double by Harrison Kain brought home four runs as the Waves retook the lead by a 5-3 margin.

Long Beach State answered back one more time, scoring twice in the top of the eighth. An error and a single by Mike Marjama put two runners on for the Dirtbags, and an RBI single scored one run for Long Beach State. Singer then hit a hard ground ball that handcuffed Waves first baseman Torrey Jacoby, scoring Marjama to tie the game.

The Dirtbags finally broke through once more in the top of the 12th inning. Hibbert came through with his second hit of the game to get a rally started, and after Duffy walked, Marjama’s double to centerfield gave Long Beach State a 6-5 lead. After a run was cut down at the plate on a groundout, Marjama then scored an insurance run on a wild pitch, accounting for the Dirtbags’ final run of the ballgame.

Eddie Magallon, entering in the tenth inning, helped the Dirtbags continue the game with two scoreless innings, while Nate Underwood retired the Waves in order in the bottom of the 12th inning to record his first save of the season.