LONG BEACH, Calif.–Long Beach State earned its second win of the week over BYU, holding off a late rally to defeat the Cougars 7-6 on Saturday afternoon at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field.<\/p>\n
The Dirtbags improved to 4-6 overall after previously topping BYU 10-7 on Wednesday. Saturday’s win was powered by extra-base hits and a strong seven-inning outing from Luke Howe<\/a>.<\/p>\n BYU took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Ryder Robinson scored on a wild pitch and throwing error. Long Beach State answered in the second as Aaron Perez<\/a> doubled to deep left field, bringing home Dylan Lina<\/a> to tie the game.<\/p>\n After BYU regained the lead in the fifth on an RBI single from Luke Anderson, the Dirtbags responded with two runs in the bottom half. Matt Toomey<\/a> doubled to center to score Lina, and Jake Evans<\/a> followed with an RBI single to give Long Beach State a 3-2 advantage.<\/p>\n The Dirtbags created separation in the sixth. Camden Gasser<\/a> and Trevor Goldenetz<\/a> reached base to set the table for Smith Chandler<\/a>, who delivered a two-run double to right field. Evans added his second RBI of the game with a run-scoring double later in the inning, pushing the lead to 6-2.<\/p>\n Long Beach State added an insurance run in the seventh when Chandler singled home Gasser to make it 7-2.<\/p>\n BYU mounted a four-run rally in the eighth, highlighted by a two-run home run from Ezra McNaughton, along with an RBI walk and a sacrifice fly to trim the deficit to one. The bullpen held firm from there. Caleb Anderson<\/a> recorded a key out in relief, and Ka’imi Kahalekai<\/a> closed the door in the ninth to earn his second save of the season.<\/p>\n Howe (2-0) earned the win after allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits over seven innings while striking out three.<\/p>\n Offensively, Chandler led the Dirtbags with two hits and three RBI. Evans finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and a walk, while Lina scored twice. Gasser reached base three times and scored two runs, continuing his disciplined start at the plate with 20 walks on the season, a mark that ranks among the NCAA leaders.<\/p>\n Long Beach State will conclude the weekend Sunday against Washington State at 12:05 p.m. at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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