WICHITA, Kan -- Wichita State fell into a 5-0 hole through two innings and could not recover, falling 8-4 to Long Beach State on Saturday afternoon at Eck Stadium.

Shockers starter Daniel Zang had a rocky first frame that started with three hit by pitches and a walk, giving the Dirtbags (10-2-1) a quick 1-0 lead with nobody out. A sacrifice fly from Jonny Rodriguez doubled the lead to 2-0 and one batter latter Adrian Lopez provided the big swing in the inning with a two-out, two-run double that made it 4-0 in favor of Long Beach State.

A solo home run from Kyle Ashworth in the second increased the lead to 5-0.

Wichita State (8-5) battled back with three runs of their own in the home half of the inning. Jaden Gustafson got the scoring started with an RBI triple and Jordan Rogers followed by slamming a two-run homer to center that pulled the Shockers within 5-3.

Zang (2-1) settled down after the tough start, firing zeroes in the third, fourth and fifth frames. Wichita State was able to cut further into the deficit in the seventh when Mauricio Millan plated a run with an RBI ground out, trimming the Long Beach State lead to 5-4.

The Dirtbags re-extended their advantage with three runs in the top of the eighth. Lopez delivered the crucial blow once again, slamming a two-run triple that ultimately produced the final margin.

Long Beach State starter Kellen Montgomery (2-0) earned the win, allowing four runs on eight hits over 6.0 innings. Dirtbags relievers Nick Williams and Grant Cherry combined for three hitless, scoreless innings to close out the victory.

Ryan Callahan was the lone Shocker to record a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-3.

The Shockers and Dirtbags will decide the series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm.