LONG BEACH, Calif. – Rocco Peppi hit a walk-off, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning as Long Beach State rallied for a 6-5 win over Wichita State on Saturday night at Blair Field.

Wichita State (0-2) had just taken a 5-4 lead in the top of the ninth inning on an RBI single from Brock Rodden, his second go-ahead hit in the final three innings. Reliever Robert Cranz (0-1) then retired the first man he faced in the ninth before allowing a single to Nick Marinconz. Peppi followed by hooking a 1-0 pitch down the left field line just over the glove of WSU left fielder Jack Little for the first home run in the series by either team.

The rally spoiled a brilliant start by Wichita State southpaw Payton Tolle, who allowed just one hit over six-plus innings of work. Tolle struck out three and walked two, allowing three runs, two of which were earned. The Dirtbags (2-0) scratched across a pair of runs against him in the second on just one hit, getting a sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout for a 2-0 advantage.

David Herring produced Wichita State's first run of the season with a run-scoring single in the top of the fifth, the only blemish on the line of Long Beach State starter Nico Zeglin, who struck out eight over five innings.

Trailing 2-1 into the seventh, the Shockers finally broke through against the Dirtbags bullpen. A single and a hit by pitch sandwiched between two groundouts put runners at the corners for Rodden, who rammed a two-run triple to the gap in right-center field for a 3-2 lead. Two pitches later, Dirtbags catcher Connor Burns threw away a pickoff attempt, allowing Rodden to score for a 4-2 advantage.

The Dirtbags fired right back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh. Marinconz yanked an RBI single into left to make it 4-3, and Jonathan Long coaxed a bases-loaded walk to draw level at 4-4. Cranz came out of the bullpen to stop the bleeding, retiring the next two hitters to preserve the tie. He then worked a scoreless eighth, setting the stage for the ninth inning dramatics.

The Shockers out-hit the Dirtbags 10-6, led by multi-hit games from Rodden, Tolle, Mauricio Millan and Kyte McDonald.

Will Levine (1-0) earned the win for Long Beach State despite allowing hits to two of the three batters he faced in the top of the ninth. 

Game three of the series is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 3:00 pm CT. Right-hander Grant Adler starts for the Shockers, while Long Beach State will counter with left-hander Myles Patton.