Box Score
 
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Washington State homered four times but Long Beach State tied the game in the eighth inning and singled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to hand WSU an 8-7 nonconference defeat at Blair Field Wednesday evening.
 
The Cougars (10-5) committed four errors and surrendered a three-run sixth-inning lead, snapping their seven-game winning streak. Long Beach State improved to 8-8 after erasing WSU's 7-4 advantage with two runs in the sixth, one in the eighth before loading the bases and driving in the game-winning run with a one-out single to left field.
 
For Washington State, junior rightfielder J.J. Hancock recorded three hits including one of the Cougars four homers, the first four-home run game for WSU since hitting four against Eastern Michigan in 2013. Hancock and sophomore left fielder Justin Harrer went back-to-back in the fourth inning, the first time WSU has hit back-to-back homers since Derek Jones and Matt Argyropoulos did so against Arizona in 2011. Freshmen Dillon Plew and Jon Burghardt each hit their first career homers with Burghardt's being a pinch-hit go-ahead three-run blast in the sixth. Junior third baseman Shane Matheny and Harrer each finished with two hits.
 
The Cougars pushed a run across in the first inning after Plew drew a leadoff walk and moved to third base on Matheny's single to right field. Plew later scored on a wild pitch. LBSU used a couple walks, an infield single and a groundout to even things at 1-1 in their half of the first.
 
Long Beach State added one in the second before the Cougars went to the long ball in the fourth inning. Hancock led off the inning with a towering blast to right centerfield and Harrer followed with a deep drive over the centerfield fence for a 3-2 lead. The Dirtbags came right back two of their own off the WSU bullpen, also taking advantage of two Cougar errors to take a 4-3 advantage.
 
In the fifth, Plew got into the home run act, launching his first career homer, a solo shot to lead off the fifth inning. Dupre took over on the mound and fired a scoreless frame, working around a single with a flyout and groundout.
 
Washington State got the swings they needed as Hancock started the inning by beating out an infield single to second base and Harrer followed with a walk. Andres Alvarez bunted both runners up and LBSU got the second out with a strikeout. With two on and two outs, WSU called upon the pinch-hitter Burghardt who hammered a 1-0 pitch deep to right field for his first career homer and a 7-4 lead.
 
The Dirtbags came back with a pair of runs sixth on a pair of hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch to cut the Cougar lead to 7-6. Long Beach State made things interesting in the seventh inning, loading the bases with two walks and an error but junior reliever Colby Nealy ended the inning with a called strike three.
 
Long Beach State's leadoff hitter reached to start the eighth on a fielding error and was later bunted up to second. Following a groundout for the second out, junior reliever Joe Rosenstein got the next batter to strikeout but ball bounced free and to the backstop, allowing the runner to score from third and tie the game at seven.
 
The Dirtbags opened the ninth with the leadoff man reaching after getting hit by a pitch. The next batter squared around to bunt but was hit by a pitch and was awarded first base. A sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third and the Cougars intentionally walked the next batter to load the bases and set up a force out with one out. LBSU's Ramsey Romano pulled a 1-1 pitch into left field to bring home the winning run.
 
Junior reliever Scotty Sunitsch suffered the loss while freshman lefthander Isaac Mullins earned a no-decision in his first career start, allowing two earned runs on two hits while striking out two in three innings.
 
Washington State continues its southern California road trip Friday, opening Pac-12 Conference play with a three-game series at USC. Friday's opener is set for 7 p.m., Saturday will be a 2 p.m. start and Sunday's finale will start at 11 a.m. The Friday and Sunday contests will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.
 
GAME NOTES… J.J. Hancock has hit safely in nine straight games….Shane Matheny owns an eight-game hitting streak.