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sports:
baseball
Dirtbags win Game
3 from Wichita State
By Ben Dimapindan
On-line Forty-Niner
A high-powered
and well-balanced offensive attack fueled Long Beach State's
11-8 victory over Wichita State, closing out the three-game
series with two wins and one loss.
Catcher Bryan Kennedy,
who led the on-target LBSU offense, highlighted the victory
by narrowing in on the 49er all-time RBI record. Kennedy increased
his career RBI mark to 156, after tallying three on Sunday.
His total places him just four shy of Jeff Liefer's all-time
record of 160 career RBIs.
After the Shockers
(6-7) committed three costly errors to begin the third inning,
the Dirtbags (9-7) swarmed the Wichita pitching and defense.
Kennedy pelted
a two-run single to establish a 3-0 lead for the Dirtbags.
Then, left fielder Chris Wright slammed in another two-run
single, boosting the lead to 5-0.
In the fifth inning,
shortstop Bobby Crosby, who finished the game 2-for-4 with
two RBIs and one run scored, continued the LBSU attack by
hitting his first homerun of the season.
The Dirtbags followed
the homerun with a staggering three-run sixth inning, thanks
to an RBI single by right fielder Jeff Jones and an RBI by
Kennedy, to advance to a 9-1 lead.
Also, first baseman
Jeremy Reed contributed to the offensive scheme for the Dirtbags
by compiling two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored.
The resilient Shockers
rallied back, but their efforts fell short.
Right fielder Randy
Walter stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded in the
bottom of the sixth and blasted a grand slam.
Then, in the seventh
inning, pinch hitter/left fielder Justin McCarty hit another
homerun, which scored two more Wichita teammates, and trimmed
the LBSU lead to a mere 10-7.
However, LBSU pitcher
Josh Alliston, who recorded his fourth save of the year, secured
the win for the Dirtbags. Alliston allowed just two hits and
one run in the last two innings.
Also, pitcher Jeff
Baumback (2-0) picked up the win for the Dirtbags, his second
overall for the season.
Baseball action
continues when the Dirtbags return home and host Pepperdine
on Tuesday and Purdue on Thursday.
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