Box Score Long Beach, CA—The UC Riverside Baseball Team dropped a 3-0 decision, Sunday, in the series finale against #19 Long Beach State.
The Highlanders came into the weekend averaging a Big West-best 5.63 runs per game, but managed four runs total in the three games against the Dirtbags.
Dave Smith (3-1) was on the mound for Long Beach, Sunday, looking to replicate the performances of his predecessors in the starting pitching department. Darren McCaughan (Friday) and John Sheaks (Saturday) combined to allow just five hits in 15 innings, to go along with 18 strikeouts in their weekend starts. Smith delivered, scattering four hits over 7.2 innings of shutout baseball, striking out three, and walking one.
Smith retired the first eight Highlanders (12-15, 1-5) he faced, before Michael Farris doubled down the left field line. Farris was one of just two UC Riverside batters to advance to second on the day.
The Dirtbags (20-11, 5-1) provided Smith with his first lead of the game in the bottom of the third. Brock Lundquist and Jarren Duran laced back-to-back, two-out doubles to right, putting Long Beach State up, 1-0.
Lucas Tancas made it a 2-0 game in the bottom of the fourth, as he led off the inning with a solo shot to left. It was his fifth homer of the season, and second in as many days.
Long Beach State put together another two-out scoring effort in the bottom of the sixth, thanks to consecutive singles by Tancas, Daniel Jackson and Ramsey Romano.
Josh Advocate came on in relief of Smith with two outs in the top of the eighth. The Highlanders had runners on first and second thanks to an AJ Sawyer single to left, and a Farris base on balls. Advocate got Colby Schultz to fly out to left to end the threat, and retired the Highlanders in order in the top of the ninth to secure his third save of the season.
Ryan Lillie (0-4) went seven innings for UC Riverside, allowing seven hits and striking out four.
The Highlanders return to the Inland Empire this week, and start a five-game home stand Tuesday with a 6 pm PT start against San Diego.
