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LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Utah Valley heads back to Southern California for the second straight weekend and will face Long Beach State in a three-game series beginning Friday at 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT. The teams will also play Saturday at 2 p.m. PT and Sunday at 1 p.m. PT from Blair Field. Long Beach State leads the all-time series between the teams 2-1. The Dirtbags took two of three from the Wolverines last season at Blair Field in the only prior series between the teams.
The Wolverines (0-4) dropped all four games at the CSUN Invitational to open the season last weekend. Three of the four losses were by a combined five runs, including a 3-2 defeat to Gonzaga and a 4-2 loss to Cal State Northridge as part of an opening day doubleheader. In the season opener, the 3-2 loss to Gonzaga, a pair of freshmen both homered in their collegiate debuts.
Tate Harding and
Jake Atkinson each hit a solo home run, marking the fourth time in the program's 12-year NCAA DI era that a player homered in the season opener. It's the first time two players have done it and the first time any freshmen have.
The Dirtbags (3-1) won two of three to open the season last weekend against Michigan, losing only the final game of the series in 10 innings. Friday's scheduled starter for Long Beach State, Kyle Friedrichs, struck out 10 in 6.0 innings of work in a season-opening 3-2 win. Ty Provencher got the save in that game and also picked up a save in a Tuesday midweek contest against Pepperdine, 3-2 win on Tuesday. Through the first four games, the Long Beach State pitching staff has struck out 51 hitters in 37 innings of work and has allowed three runs or less in each of its games.
Next week, Utah Valley will travel to Albuquerque for two games against New Mexico and two neutral site contests against San Francisco. The following weekend the team is slated to host Saint Mary's in the a three-game series to open the 2015 home schedule.
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