LONG BEACH, Calif. – Washington State dropped a nonconference game 5-1 to Long Beach State at Blair Field Wednesday evening. Senior first baseman James Rudkin had a two-out RBI-single for the Cougars who open Pac-12 Conference play Friday at No. 14 UCLA.
 
Long Beach State the reigning Big West Conference champions improved to 6-11 on the season while WSU dropped to 4-9. The Dirtbags beat the Cougars 8-7 last season in Long Beach behind a ninth-inning walkoff RBI-single.
 
In the first inning, LBSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind a pair of two-out singles off of Cougar starter A.J. Block. The sophomore lefthander settled down and struck out two and picked off another in a scoreless second inning.
 
In the fifth inning, the Dirtbags pushed the lead to 4-0 after a two-out bloop double landed on the right field line to score a runner from first.
 
The Cougars got on the board in the seventh as Harrer beat out an infield single to third base and later scored on a two-out RBI-single from Rudkin into left field, cutting the LBSU lead to 4-1.
 
Long Beach State answered the Cougars with a run of their own in the bottom of the seventh, pushing the lead to 5-1 with a two-out RBI-single into left field.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
WSU used seven pitchers (Block, Barnum, Newstrom, Maier, Moyle, McFadden, Orlando)
Jack Smith singled back up the middle in the 4^th, he's now hit safely in 9 of his last 10 games
A.J. Block started, L, 2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 K
 
NEXT UP
The Cougars will continue their southern California road trip by opening Pac-12 Conference play at No. 14 UCLA Friday.