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Pitching
lifts Dirtbags over Highlanders at Blair
Field
Safe
• Junior shortstop Troy Tulowitzki
gets dirty to avoid a tag in a win over
UC Riverside. Tracey Roman / Online Forty-Niner
By
Donovin Matthews
Staff Writer
Online Forty-Niner
In
a third pitcher's duel to close the weekend,
the No. 20-ranked Long Beach State Dirtbags
(21-10, 3-0 Big West) completed a three
game sweep over UC Riverside (12-15, 0-3
Big West) on Sunday with a 4-1 win at Blair
Field.
Sophomore
pitcher Jared Hughes (3-2) shut down the
Highlanders, going a tough seven innings,
while allowing only one run on three hits,
and struck out seven batters. Senior pitcher
Neil Jamison came in and pitched the final
two shutout innings to pick up his eighth
save of the season.
LBSU
made noise in the second inning as result
of two consecutive singles by junior centerfielder
Sean Boatright and junior catcher Chris
Jones, before a one-out grounder by freshman
designated hitter Zach Barger made it a
1-0 game. The Highlanders were able to tie
matters up at the top of the third however,
due to the back-to-back doubles of freshman
third baseman Andrew Garcia and junior second
baseman Anthony Claggett.
Going
into the fifth inning, the Dirtbags were
able to break open a 1-1 tie, as senior
right fielder Steve Velazco smacked a two-run
double to give LBSU a 3-1 advantage. Senior
left fielder Danny Mocny extended the lead
to 4-1 with a sacrifice fly in the sixth.
Jamison
would close the door, culminating on a double-play
grounder and fly ball to give the Dirtbags
the win.
The
Dirtbags conclude their seven-game home
stand on Tuesday as they welcome UCLA to
Blair Field at 6:30 p.m. LBSU will then
pick up Big West play at UC Irvine next
weekend.
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