Titans
sweep the Dirtbags' playoff hopes
By
Mario Burciaga
Summer Forty-Niner
Assistant Sports Editor
What happened this Memorial Day weekend defined the Dirtbag’s regular
season. The Dirtbags faced Cal State Fullerton, who is ranked second in the
country, for the final three games of the regular season but were unable to
secure a single must-needed victory over the weekend.
The Dirtbags (29-27, 12-9 Big West) ended the season losing three straight
to Fullerton (43-13, 18-3 Big West), falling 2-0 Friday, and 10-2 and 13-3
Sunday.
After the weekend sweep, the Dirtbags season officially came to end Monday
morning when they were not invited to compete in the NCAA Regionals.
“We did not play very good baseball,” said Long Beach coach Mike
Weathers. “We did not pitch. We did not hit. After the first game [on Sunday]
bomb, I said ‘at least we have the next game,’ then that one got
away too.”
A sweep of the Titans could have crowned the Dirtbags co-champions of the Big
West Conference, thus guaranteeing both teams a playoff berth, but when it
came down to it, the Dirtbags were presented by problems both on and off the
field.
Opening the series was Titans pitcher Wes Roemer (11-1), who out-dueled Andrew
Carpenter (7-4) with a complete game shutout on Friday. Even though the Dirtbags
lost the game, Weathers remained optimistic about making the postseason, pinpointing
a difficult schedule and a tough pitching match.
Weathers said the 2-0 loss showed the team that they can compete against one
of the best college teams and pitchers in the nation.
After the Dirtbags dropped the series opener Friday, a light transformer on
the third base side blew out just before Saturday’s game, canceling the
game. This forced the teams to play a doubleheader on Sunday.
The Dirtbags came out strong in the first game Sunday, capturing and early
lead, but then things started to fall apart. The Titans scored one run in the
first inning, three runs in both the fourth and the fifth, followed by two
more in eighth and one in the ninth. When it was all said and done, Lauren
Gagnier (12-4) recorded the convincing Fullerton win.
The second game of the doubleheader, which turned out to be the last game of
the season, resulted in a Titan slugfest, 13-3, handing Titan starting pitcher
Dustin Miller (11-1) the win, and Jared Hughes (8-4) the loss.
David Espinosa had a career best 4-for-4 day, and Evan Longoria extended his
hitting streak to 12 games, but the Dirtbags’ defense overshadowed the
accomplishments. LBSU finished the series with eight errors and scored only
five runs.
Unfortunately for the Dirtbags, this past weekend defined their season, playing
tough teams and not getting victories.
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