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sports:
baseball
Dirtbags split
two with No. 4 CSUF
By Ben Dimapindan
On-line Forty-Niner
After Friday night's
loss to No. 4 Cal State Fullerton, 2,102 fans returned Saturday
to Goodwin Field to see another victory for the Titans, but
instead witnessed Long Beach State pummel the home team, 17-6,
in the second game of the final three-game Big West Conference
series.
The Dirtbags (35-20,
11-6) silenced the CSUF offense behind a strong pitching performance
by starter Matt Paz, and the LBSU offense punished the opposing
pitchers as 10 different batters recorded at least one hit.
Paz (8-7), picked
up the win, pitching 6 1/3 innings and allowing only six runs
on nine hits while tallying six strikeouts.
The Titans (40-15,13-4) were up 2-0 at the end of two innings,
but then the Dirtbags heated up.
In the top of the
third, outfielder Jeff Jones blasted a grand slam as part
of a seven-run surge that put the Dirtbags up 7-2. The Dirtbags
completed the blow out late in the game, when the offense
drove in 10 runs in the final three innings.
First baseman Jeremy
Reed and shortstop Bobby Crosby led the well-balanced offensive
attack for LBSU. Reed contributed three hits and two RBIs,
while Crosby added three hits and scored twice.
As for CSUF, the
only batters to find success at the plate were designated
hitter Jason Corapci, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and
shortstop Mike Rouse, who had two hits and one run scored.
In Friday night's
contest, the Titans simply dominated the game en route to
a 16-6 victory, which was the biggest win by CSUF over the
Dirtbags since 1992.
With the series-opening
win, the Titans clinched at least a share of the Big West
Conference title.
The Dirtbags opened
the game with plenty of intensity as Crosby, who finished
the game 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored, slammed
a home run in the top of the first to give LBSU a 2-0 advantage.
However, the Titans
battled back and scored three unanswered runs.
LBSU right fielder
Paul Macaluso tied the game at 3-3 in the fourth when he hammered
a solo home run.
CSUF crept ahead
once again, 5-3, highlighted by a solo home run by left fielder
Robert Guzman to leadoff the bottom of the fifth. Catcher
Bryan Kennedy kept the Dirtbags in the game with an RBI single
in the sixth inning.
In the final stages
of the game, the CSUF offense catapulted the level of play
and completely took over. The Titans poured in 11 runs
in a span of two innings, which gave the home team a permanent
16-6 lead.
The sparks for
the CSUF scoring drive were Guzman, Corapci and right fielder
Shane Costa. Guzman contributed four hits two RBIs and four
runs scored, while Corapci and Costa each added in four hits
and one RBI.
The teams closed
out the regular season on Sunday, with a conference title
on the line for the Titans. The 49ers locked up a probable
trip to the postseason with Saturday's win, the 35th on the
campaign, the usual magic number for the playoffs.
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