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POSTGAME INTERVIEW (UNGRICHT)



LONG BEACH, Calif. – Entering the Charlotte series to open the season last weekend, San Diego Baseball head coach Brock Ungricht told his team before the game that “some weird stuff is going to happen.” 

The weird stuff, which led to a triple play Friday, continued Tuesday when Toreros took advantage of two Long Beach errors in the 11th inning for three runs, leading to a 6-3 road win at Blair Field. 

Moments before the 11th inning started, Gabe Springer closed out the 10th inning with a game-saving diving catch and the winning run 90 feet away, setting up the momentum and extending the game.  

In the 11th inning, Connor Meidroth singled down the third base line to set up runners at the corners before getting in scoring position himself on a stolen base. 

Playing San Diego Baseball means putting the ball in play to make something happen. That is what happened to Andrew Gauna, who hit a slow ground ball between third and short, leading to the first of two Dirtbags errors in the inning to break a 3-3 tie, scoring both Springer and Meidroth. 

After Diego Gonzalez walked, Cade Martinez also put the ball in play. A fly ball to the center fielder was mishandled and found the grass, scoring Gauna to take a 6-3 lead for the Toreros (3-1, 0-0 West Coast Conference). 

Then, Caleb Sebek came in to pitch to record his first save with a clean bottom of the 11th to seal a successful trip to Long Beach (1-3, 0-0 Big West Conference). 

The crazy stuff was also evident in the top of the eighth when San Diego trailed 2-1. 

Martinez, who pinch hit for Gage Mestas, recorded a sacrifice bunt to move Gauna and Tanner Kern to second and third, setting up the top of the lineup for Aden Howard. 



Howard took advantage of a friendly bounce as he hit the ball off the second base bag, scoring Gauna and Kern to give USD its first lead of the game. 

Despite trailing 2-0 through the first six innings, San Diego knew they had nine outs left to play and did not panic. 

With one out in the seventh, Jayden Lobliner delivered with a home run over the center field wall to put the Toreros on the board, setting up the comeback. 

Six different pitchers toed the rubber for USD but none completed more than three innings. Logan Piper got the start, getting the first seven outs. Fernando Palencia then came in to finish up the third inning and complete the fourth. 

As Piper and Palencia each allowed a run, Porter Rovin delivered 2.2 innings of shutout work. Then Hayden Cody came into pitch, getting the final out of the seventh and a scoreless eighth inning. 

Although Cody allowed a run in the ninth, making it a 3-3 game, Nate DeSchryver followed and got the game to extra innings. DeSchryver, who got the win, did not allow a run in his two innings of work, including getting help from Springer with his inning-ending diving play. 

Long Beach State scored its first two runs on sacrifice flies in the first and fourth innings. 

San Diego had chances early as they walked three times and were also hit three times in the first five innings. The Toreros also had four men caught stealing within the first three innings. 

Gauna and Kern were both hit to begin the third inning. Gage Mestas was unable to move the runners over by popping up in the infield. Then Kern was caught stealing on the back end trying to go from first to second as Gauna went from second to third. Howard ended the inning by grounding out to third and unable to score.

UP NEXT

San Diego has a couple of days to prepare for its first non-conference multi-team event of the season, the Tony Gwynn Legacy tournament, which is co-hosted by the Toreros and San Diego State. Friday also marks the 2026 home opener as San Diego hosts Utah at Fowler Park. First Pitch between the USD and the Utes is slated for 6 p.m. as the game will be called by Braden Suprenant (play-by-play)  and Mike Gosling (analyst) on ESPN+. 

NOTABLE


Nate DeSchryver, who pitched last season at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, logged his first win in his first appearance in a Toreros uniform.
Caleb Sebek bounced back from his first collegiate outing Saturday in the first game of the doubleheader at Charlotte, with a clean 11th inning to lock up his first collegiate save. 
Jayden Lobliner, the reigning West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, logged his first home run of the season with his seventh inning blast, batting out of the cleanup spot.   
Connor Meidroth joined Lobliner to lead the Toreros with a two-hit game.