Dirtbags Finish off Sweep of Fordham

LONG BEACH, Calif. — The Dirtbags took care of business with a 7-1 win on Sunday afternoon, finishing off a weekend sweep of the Fordham Rams. The game experienced a 90-minute rain delay before first pitch, but was played without interruption. With the win, LBSU improves to 4-3 on the season and Fordham drops to 1-5.

Jarren Duran stayed hot at the plate, again batting out of the leadoff spot. He had three hits, including a pair of doubles, and set a new career high with three RBIs. He even added a stolen base for good measure. In the series, Duran had a .667 on-base percentage and a 1.100 slugging percentage, going 6-for-10 with seven runs scored, four RBIs, three doubles, three walks and a triple in three games.

Freshman RHP Matt Fields made his first start as a Dirtbag and did well, earning his second win in as many appearances this season. Fields allowed a run in the first inning but shut Fordham out after that, going six innings with four strikeouts while scattering seven hits (all singles).

LBSU scored in the first to tie the score when Luke Rasmussen lined a single up the middle to score Duran. That gave Rasmussen an RBI in his seventh straight game to start the season. The Dirtbags took a lead with two runs in the second, scoring on a David Banuelos RBI single and then a throwing error by the Rams.

Long Beach State scored in five separate innings, with Duran supplying a pair of RBI doubles, one in the fourth and a two-run double in the seventh. Ramsey Romano stayed hot with two more hits today and a pair of runs scored.

Late in the game, the Dirtbags bullpen stole the spotlight. Connor Riley gave up a leadoff single to the first batter he faced in the seventh, then Fordham didn’t have a ball leave the infield the rest of the game. Riley struck out the next five batters he faced before he was relieved by Eli Villalobos. Upon his arrival, Villalobos struck out the first three batters he faced, making it eight consecutive strikeouts for Dirtbags pitchers. That’s the most consecutive strikeouts for Long Beach State pitchers since Mar. 5, 2004, when Jered Weaver struck out 10 straight BYU hitters to start that game. Just last season, Austin McGeorge fanned seven straight Nebraska batters in a 1-0 win on Mar. 5, 2016.

The Dirtbags will look to keep the winning streak rolling along on Tuesday night as San Diego State visits Blair Field for a 6 p.m. game. LBSU will then play an exhibition game against KT Wiz Baseball Club on Wednesday at 6 p.m. before embarking on a six-game road trip.