FROM LBSU REPORTS
The 2018 season is gradually becoming the year of the two-way player for the Dirtbags, as redshirt sophomore Jacob Hughey pulled double duty to help lead Long Beach State (13-20) to a 5-2 win over No. 17 UCLA (19-9) on Tuesday night.
Hughey made his first start of the season on the mound, going a career-best six innings while racking up a career-high seven strikeouts against a talented Bruins lineup. He allowed two runs on three hits, keyed by a two-run home run by Chase Strumpf in the third inning. Following the home run, Hughey retired 10 straight Bruins, and UCLA didn’t get another hit the rest of the game.
At the plate, Hughey had a pair of hits and collected three RBIs. He did his job with an RBI groundout in the first inning to follow up Jarren Duran’s RBI triple, and then Hughey came through in the clutch in the seventh. With two outs and the bases loaded, the lefthanded hitter stroked a pitch to left field to score a pair and make it a more comfortable 5-2 lead for Long Beach State.
LBSU Dirtbags on Twitter
This is what @jacobhughey5 had to say about his big day on the mound (6IP, 3H, 2R, 7K) and at the plate (2/4, 3 RBIs) as LBSU beat No. 17 UCLA, 5-2, on Tuesday night. #GoBeach https://t.co/uSQXfECS7j
Duran hit the ball hard consistently on Tuesday, also ending up with a pair of hits, a run scored and an RBI. Santino Rivera also collected a run and an RBI out of the nine hole, and five different players scored the five runs for Long Beach State.
Eli Villalobos came out of the bullpen to work two innings in relief of Hughey before Chris Rivera earned his ninth save of the season with a scoreless ninth. The pair of relievers pitched three hitless innings, allowing a pair of walks with four combined strikeouts. UCLA is now the fourth different ranked team Long Beach State has defeated this season.
The Dirtbags return to Big West play this weekend with a road series at CSUN, beginning Friday at 3 p.m.
