DIRTBAGS SERVE UP SOME ICE COLD REVENGE TO UCSB

CSULB GETS REVENGE FOR THEIR FALLEN BASKETBALL BROTHERS. UCSB: ULTRA CRAPPY SHITTY BASEBALL

   Words By Andrew Turner, Union Staffer

Long Beach State rallied from a two run deficit to extend their winning streak to three games in an 8-4 victory over the visiting UCSB Gauchos Saturday night in front of a crowd of 1279 at Blair Field. It looked like the Dirtbags had little life in them when they found themselves down 4-2 at the end of six innings on Saturday. That would have been anyone’s assumption given their recent success at the plate the past two games. Long Beach State had scored a combined 28 runs in back-to-back wins over UCLA and UCSB.

Long Beach answered the call in the late innings. Trailing the Gauchos 4-2 to start the seventh inning, the Dirtbags loaded the bases with no outs recorded in the bottom half. After Santa Barbara’s Nick Loredo induced a double play, it looked as though the Gauchos would get out of the inning with limited damage.
Brennan Metzger had other ideas for Long Beach. With two outs and a man at third, Metzger roped a single to tie up the game and take starting pitcher Jake Thompson off the hook for the loss.Thompson gave up just three earned runs over seven innings, and was replaced by Cris Trout in the eighth. Trout handled the Gauchos without much trouble, giving up no hits in his inning on the mound.

Trout’s clean inning of relief set the stage for Dirtbag fireworks. After Devin Lohman singled to start the inning, Long Beach loaded the bases on a couple of push bunt singles. Jordan Casas came through in the clutch, belting a bases clearing double just inside the third base line. Long Beach State would tack on one more run in the eighth to take an 8-4 lead. Lefty hurler Kenny Arnerich closed out the Gauchos in the ninth.

With the win, Long Beach clawed themselves back into contention in the Big West by climbing above the .500 mark (18-17, 6-5). The Dirtbags are in third place in the Big West, three games behind the conference leading Cal State Fullerton Titans. Santa Barbara dropped to 3-5 in Big West play, leaving them far behind the pack in sixth.

The Dirtbags and Gauchos duked it out in the series finale Sunday afternoon as Long Beach State goes for the sweep, but we don’t have the results because for you because we send our paper to the printers Saturday, and we haven’t worked out all the kinks in our time machine yet. A sweep would be a fine prize for all the Monson Maniacs seeking revenge for the Gauchos narrow victory over the Long Beach in basketball conference title game.