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sports:
baseball
Dirtbags sweep
Cal Poly
By Ben Dimapindan
Daily Forty-Niner
The seniors defended
home field one final time Sunday as Long Beach State overcame
two big deficits to sweep the three-game Big West Conference
series against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
After trimming
a four-run deficit down to a single run in the bottom of the
ninth, LBSU shortstop Bobby Crosby stepped into the batter's
box to wrap up the victory. He took one swing and slammed
the ball to an unguarded patch of grass in left center to
drive in the winning runs and ending the game, 13-12.
"It's the
best feeling in the world when you can win the game for your
team," Crosby said. "I just hit it as hard as I
could; it doesn't get any better."
Early in the game
things looked bleak for the Dirtbags (34-18, 10-5) as Cal
Poly (28-24, 6-9) exploded with a four-run first inning.
The Dirtbags chipped
away at the lead for several innings and outfielder Jeff Jones
capped off the rally in the fourth inning.
With the bases
loaded, Jones blasted a grand slam to give LBSU an 8-6 lead.
The ball soared over the 387-foot mark of the left field power
alley and 689 fans at Blair Field greeted Jones with a standing
ovation as he rounded the diamond.
The Mustangs, however,
fought back and regained the lead behind an offensive surge
of six unanswered runs.
The Dirtbags refused
to let Cal Poly sour the season's last home game and pounded
away runs in the bottom of the ninth.
Jones led off the
inning with a solo homerun, which re-ignited the offense.
Shortly after, center fielder Corry Parrott ripped an RBI
double up the left field line and left fielder Chris Wright
drilled an RBI single through the right field gap.
"It was a
good spark for the inning," Jones said. "Everybody
else had strong hits too. It was an absolute team effort today."
The ninth-inning
comeback culminated in Crosby's two-run shot to secure the
victory.
Saturday's game
went down to the wire as Wright emerged with a clutch performance
in the 11th inning to give LBSU a 6-5 win.
The game was deadlocked
at 5-5 in the bottom of the 11th. With three LBSU batters
filling the bases, Wright gripped his bat and walked to the
plate ready to swing. The Cal Poly infielders closed in, as
if anticipating a bunt, and Wright popped the ball over second
baseman Sam Herbert's head for the game-winning RBI single.
"I knew that
with no outs and the infield in, I didn't have to do too much,"
Wright said. "I just had to hit a hard ground ball or
fly ball to score a run. I just tried to get my mind to another
level to get the job done."
The Dirtbags controlled
the game early with a 5-2 lead, highlighted by the RBI triple
of Jeremy Reed that set a personal career-high
15-game hit streak, in the fourth.
The Mustangs tied
the game behind a three-run sixth and the game remained even
at 5-5 until Wright's clutch single in the 11th drove in the
winning run.
Friday night's
game showcased the highest level of LBSU pitching and hitting
as the Dirtbags pummeled Cal Poly, 9-3.
Starter Matt Paz,
who picked up the win, eliminated any offensive threats from
the Mustangs and did not allow a hit until the third inning.
Paz tossed for six complete innings, allowing three runs on
seven hits, recording six strikeouts.
The Dirtbags offense
heated up early and never cooled off. Designated hitter Nick
Covarrubias led the way, going 2-for-2 with a double and a
RBI single, in the first three innings and LBSU strolled to
a 6-0 advantage.
The Mustangs sliced
the lead to 6-3 in the fifth, but Kennedy sealed the win for
the Dirtbags with a two-run single in the seventh that drilled
past the glove of third baseman Kyle Wilson.
"It's my job
right there to score some runs," Kennedy said. "They
tried to battle, and it was good shot to put the nail in the
coffin."
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