Long Beach State beats baseball 'Bows, 4-2
Advertiser Staff
Vance Worley struck out a career-high 11 in eight strong innings to lead No. 10 Long Beach State over Hawai'i, 4-2, tonight to take the second game of the three-game series at Les Murakami Stadium.
Worley (2-0) allowed two runs and six hits and walked none for the Dirtbags (8-2), winners of six in a row. Nick Vincent pitched a scoreless ninth, allowing a walk, for his first save.
Nick Rhodes (0-1) pitched the first complete game of the season for the Rainbows (5-8), who have dropped five in a row. Rhodes allowed four runs, 10 hits and one walks while striking out a career-high nine.
Mid-Pacific graduate Kip Masuda started at catcher for LBSU and went 1 for 4.
It didn't take long for the 49ers to get on the board. Designated hitter Robert Burk led off the game with a home run to left to give LBSU 1-0 lead.
It was just his second at-bat of the season. Two outs later, Shane Peterson walked and Taylor Krick was hit by a pitch and both scored on Devin Lohman's triple to right to make it 3-0.
The Dirtbags increased their lead in the third. Danny Espinosa beat out a single to short, stole second, took third when Peterson grounded out to second and scored on Krick's sacrifice fly to left to make it 4-0.
Hawai'i got on the board in the bottom of third. With two outs, Greg Garcia singled to center, stole second and scored on Jon Hee's single to left in a 10-pitch at-bat in which he fouled off five pitches in a row on a 2-2 count before getting the hit to make it 4-1.
The Rainbows cut their deficit in half in the eighth. Kevin Macdonald reached on a single to second and left with an apparent injury for pinch runner Ryan Morford. Ryan Asato then singled up the middle to put runners at first and second before Garcia popped a foul bunt to the catcher. Hee followed with an RBI single to left to make it 4-2. Asato took third when the left fielder bobbled the ball to put runners at the corners. Sean Monplaisir fouled out to third and Haislet struck out to strand the runners.