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Dirtbags
burn Sun Devils under dark clouds in baseball
season opener
By
Trent Loomis
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer
Had
the skies stayed clear, it is quite possible
that the No. 14-ranked Long Beach State
baseball team would have opened its 2005
campaign with a sweep of No. 9-ranked Arizona
State in Tempe, Ariz. this past weekend.
After
winning the first game, 7-3, the Dirtbags
(2-1) were poised to take game two after
staking a 5-1 lead in the fifth inning,
and that is when the rain came.
The
game was delayed just over an hour and apparently
that's all that the Sun Devils (1-2) needed
to tie the game in the sixth and go ahead
to score three more runs in the eighth to
seal the victory.
For
the series, LBSU out-hit Arizona State,
39-31 and outscored them also, 24-12 led
by preseason All-American shortstop Troy
Tulowitzki.
Tulowiztki
led the attack in game one going 4-5 with
three runs and an RBI, while pitching ace
Cesar Ramos (1-0) gave up three runs and
eight hits over six innings.
Game
one featured all three of LBSU's All-Americans
Tulowitzki, Ramos and relief pitcher Neil
Jamison who recorded the last out on a popup.
Sophomore
third baseman Evan Longoria had three RBIs,
two coming off of a double and one was drawn
with a bases-loaded walk in the eighth.
Junior
outfielder Sean Boatright injured his hamstring
diving for a ball in center field.
Boatright
injury is listed as day-to-day.
LBSU
took a commanding 5-1 advantage in game
two, led by hot-hitting designated hitter
Longoria who went 2-3 with two doubles and
red-shirt freshman first baseman Brandon
Godfrey added a triple and two RBIs.
Starting
pitcher Cody Evans, a junior transfer from
Golden West College went 4.2 innings allowing
five hits and two runs.
After
the rain delay, freshmen relievers Donnie
Hume and Andrew Liebel (0-1) gave up a combined
five runs.
Any
rustiness displayed in game two was polished
off when the Dirtbags came out with a vengeance
in game three routing the Sun Devils 11-1.
In
the rubber-match, the Dirtbags saw all position
players reach base successfully on 16 hits,
highlighted by Tulowitzki's four.
Junior
transfer right-hander Marco Estrada (1-0)
pitched a gem, going six innings, allowing
eight hits and only one run.
Relief
pitchers Steve Hammond, Brian Anderson and
closer Neil Jamison combined for three innings
of one-hit, shout-out ball, striking out
four in the process.
Sindlinger
bolted the Dirtbags first home run of the
season, driving in three.
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