Record
seven homeruns catapult Dirtbags to win
By Michael Bower
On-line Forty-Niner
 The
Dirtbags (31-14, 11-3) lost another non-conference
mid-week game, but came back to win two-straight
conference games, and with Cal State Fullerton
losing twice to UC Riverside the Dirtbags
are tied for first place in the Big West.
The two wins against the University of Pacific
Tigers (25-22, 4-10) gives The Beach its
fifth-straight Big West Conference series.
Just two days after the Dirtbag bullpen
blew a 3-1 lead and lost, 5-3, in 11 innings
against Fresno State, The Beach played a
little home run derby in Stockton against
the Tigers.
The Dirtbags lit up the scoreboard and by
bashing a school-record seven home runs
on Friday, and defeated the Tigers in a
laugher, 16-2.
John Bowker’s pinch-hit home run in the
top of the ninth broke the old record of
six home runs in a single game, set back
in 1999 and in 1994.
The win gives the 49ers its 15 straight
seasons with at least 30 wins. The team’s
30 wins in 44 games is the fourth-fastest
streak to 30 over the last 14 seasons.
The offense started banging them out of
the yard in the second inning when Adam
Heether, Brad Davis and Bobby Pearce hit
back-to-back-to-back home runs with two
outs in part of an eight-run second inning.
The three home runs in the inning tied a
school-record for most homers in an inning
set in 1999 and 1998.
The Beach didn’t stop there with the long
ball as Mike Hofius hit Tigers’ starter
Matthew Pena’s 100th pitch over the right-field
wall for a three-run homer chasing Pena
out of the game in the sixth inning.
Troy Tulowitzki immediately followed Hofius
with a solo homer and The Beach was cruising
with a 14-1 lead.
Todd Jennings, who extended his hit streak
to 15 games on Saturday, tied the old single-game
record with a solo home run to lead off
the ninth inning before Bowker broke it
to end the seven home run 17-hit day for
the Dirtbags. Bowker’s blast was his third
home run in as many games.
Abe Alvarez hummed along eight innings pushing
his perfect record to 9-0 by giving up two
runs on five hits and striking out four.
After giving up a solo homer in the first
inning, Alvarez retired 18 of the next 19
Tigers.
Brett Andrade closed the game out by pitching
a perfect ninth inning and recording two
strikeouts.
Heether and Tulowitzki’s parents came out
to watch the game in Stockton and neither
disappointed their parents. Heether finished
the game 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a homer
while Tulowitzki went 3-for-5 with a RBI
and a home run.
Chuck Sindlinger collected three hits for
The Beach while Hofius drove in three.
All of the starters except one had a hit
on the day while all but three smashed homers
for The Beach.
On Saturday, Sindlinger went 2-for-4 with
two RBIs as Jered Weaver picked up his 10th
win on the year, and the Dirtbags defeated
the Tigers, 7-2.
Weaver cruised through seven innings giving
up just seven hits and one walk. Weaver
also struck out seven of the first nine
Tigers he faced en route to his third double-digit
strikeout game of the season.
Weaver has 102 strikeouts on the year and
is the first 49er since Marcus Jones in
1997 to reach the 100 strikeout plateau.
With the score 3-2 in the sixth inning The
Beach batted around and broke the game open
with a four-run flurry.
Tulowitzki got the scoring started with
a RBI fielder’s choice. Sindlinger then
smashed a RBI double before Jennings followed
with a RBI single. Travis Udvarhelyi capped
off the scoring with a RBI double and The
Beach was in command, 7-2.
Udvarhelyi finished the game 3-for-3 while
Bowker’s bat stayed hot and contributed
three hits as well.
The Dirtbags will finally head home after
eight games on the road. The team will host
Pepperdine on Tuesday and then UC Riverside
in a big three-game series beginning on
Friday.
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