LONG BEACH, Calif. – A wild pitch in the bottom of the 11th inning gave Long Beach State its only lead of the game as the Dirtbags scratched across a 5-4 win over the Milwaukee baseball team late on Friday evening.
 
The Panthers (0-7) took a 2-0 lead in the third, which held until the bottom of the eighth when Long Beach evened the score with a two-run home run. Milwaukee took a one-run lead in the ninth that was answered by another Long Beach home run. In the 11th, Milwaukee regained the lead at 4-3, but the home team scored twice in the bottom of the inning including to secure the win.
 
"Tip your cap to their hitters," said head coach Shaun Wegner on Long Beach. "On the first home run to tie it, their batter kept length through the zone and spun it out … then the next home run on a 3-2 count came as he matched it up and took it deep."
 
Luke Hansel pitched well once again for Milwaukee as he finished the game without allowing a run and scattered just two hits and struck out five batters as he did not factor into the decision.
 
"Luke was absolutely outstanding tonight," added Wegner of his starter. "When you bring that kind of poise and moxie to the mount, you have a chance to beat anyone. Watching his development to where he was tonight has been fun."
 
Tai Walton sparked two of Milwaukee's offensive rallies, scoring two runs, while Gabe Roessler led the Panthers with two RBIs including the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth. Thomas Otto opened the game for the Panthers by driving in Walton to spot Milwaukee the early lead.
 
"Our guys showed resolve and fight but just didn't quite do enough to end up on top," Wegner concluded. "When we put together a full nine innings, we will change that."
 
Milwaukee took a lead in the third inning as Walton led off the frame with a triple and was chased home by a double off the bat of Otto. After a bunt moved Otto to third, Roessler picked up the first of his RBIs with a bunt single.
 
Handed the lead, Hansel worked around a one-out single to and stranded his third runner in as many innings. The right-hander stranded four more runners over the next three innings as he battled traffic on the basepaths throughout his start.
 
The Panthers had a chance to score with two on with one down in the eighth but were unable to pick up the timely hit and carried their two-run lead into the bottom half of the frame. After a leadoff walk, Long Beach broke through with a two-run home run off the bat of Adrian Lopez to level the score at two runs after eight.
 
In the ninth, Walton had a one-out single and then stole second before Q Phillips reached on a bunt single to put runners on the corners. Roessler sent a ball into left field to put the Panther back up in the ninth as Walton scored for the second time.
 
A solo home run by Jack Hammond with two down in the bottom of the ninth tied the score for the Dirtbags as Milwaukee went to extra innings for the first time in seven games this season.
 
Long Beach had the game-winning run at third with two down in the bottom of the 10th, but James Severson got the clutch strikeout to send the game to the 11th inning.
 
Teige Lethert singled with two down in the top of the inning and moved up to second on a passed ball. Phillips reached on an error as Lethert crossed with another go-ahead run for the Panthers.
 
The first three reached for Long Beach in the bottom half of the inning to load the bases before a ground ball tied the game. Two batters later, a wild pitch scored the game-winning run as the Dirtbags escaped with the one-run win.

Myles Patton got the start for Long Beach and went the first six inning with 13 strikeouts, while six pitchers combined to get through the final five innings as Dirtbag pitching struck out 21 Milwaukee batters along the way.

Milwaukee and Long Beach will meet again on Saturday, with the game scheduled for 8:00 p.m. (CT) on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field in Southern California.