LONG BEACH, Calif. (Interstat) — In a game defined by dominant relief pitching and missed opportunities, San Diego State broke a late tie with a three-run 12th inning to outlast Long Beach State 7-5 in a nonconference baseball matchup Wednesday night at Blair Field.

The Aztecs, who improved to 21-18, needed five pitchers to navigate 12 innings against the Dirtbags, who fell to 12-24. Both teams finished with 10 hits, but a pivotal wild pitch and a key two-run single in the final frame proved the difference.

The most important part of the game was the middle-inning lockdown by San Diego State’s bullpen, specifically the performance of Jake Frohn. After the Dirtbags had chipped away at an early deficit to pull within 4-3, Frohn entered in the bottom of the sixth inning and delivered five perfect innings of relief. He struck out six, extinguishing multiple Long Beach State threats and allowing his offense time to find the winning runs. His outing was a stark rebound from his previous appearance, a loss at New Mexico where he allowed three earned runs in just over an inning.

Long Beach State had taken an early lead, scoring once in the first on Dylan Lina’s sacrifice fly and again in the second on Conner Stewart’s sacrifice fly. San Diego State responded in the top of the second, capitalizing on a fielding error by Lina at third base. With the bases loaded, Tyce Peterson drew a walk to force in an unearned run, and Dawson Santana followed with a run-scoring groundout to give the Aztecs a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish until late.

The Dirtbags’ Jake Evans cut the lead to 4-3 with a solo home run to center field in the fifth inning. San Diego State extended its lead to 5-3 in the seventh when Zach Justice doubled home Jake Jackson. The Aztecs added another in the ninth on an RBI single by Max Farrell, making it 6-3 and putting the Dirtbags on the brink.

Long Beach State mounted a dramatic comeback in the bottom of the ninth against San Diego State reliever Issac Araiza. With two outs, Trotter Enright walked and scored when Matt Toomey doubled to center field, closing the gap to 6-5. The potential tying run was stranded at second, however, when Lina grounded out to third.

The game remained tied until the 12th. With two on and one out, a wild pitch from Long Beach State’s Van Larson allowed Farrell to score the go-ahead run. Reeve Boyd then singled home Jabin Trosky, and Peterson added a sacrifice fly to provide critical insurance.

Long Beach State did not go quietly in its half of the 12th. Enright walked and scored on Toomey’s second RBI double of the night, but Araiza stranded the tying run at second by getting the next two batters to end the game.

Beyond Frohn’s standout effort, Bryce McKnight and Araiza each threw two scoreless innings of relief for San Diego State. The Dirtbags also received strong bullpen work, with Brad Grindlinger, Alex Ramos and Jake Fields combining for three hitless innings.

The win gave San Diego State a season sweep of the home-and-home series, having also defeated Long Beach State 13-10 on March 4. The result defied the pregame projections from Interstat, whose ELO system gave the Dirtbags a 55.9% probability to win, though the final score was closer to its simulated prediction of a 6-3 Aztecs victory.

San Diego State next hosts Seattle on Monday. Long Beach State opens a three-game Big West Conference series at home against UC Riverside on Friday.