Dirtbags ready for the Bears

After salvaging the final game of a three-game series with USC on Sunday, the Cal State Long Beach baseball team will return to action tomorrow when Cal comes to town for another non-conference series.

The 49ers'7-3 win over the Trojans moved their record to 2-4. As they did this year, The Beach opened last season with a 1-4 mark and proceeded to win nine of their next ten games paving the way to their fifth Big West Conference championship in the last six years.

"We need to take Sunday's effort and keep that going this weekend,"said Head Coach Dave Snow.

Good thinking. Sunday, CSULB erupted for eight hits in the first two innings en route to a season-high twelve. They also got solid pitching by, in particular, Area Petrosian, who tossed three shutout innings while striking out four.

Petrosian, a 6-4, 225-pound junior transfer from Cypress College, has been brilliant in his four appearances this season. In 9 1/3 innings of work, Petrosian has struck out nine, giving up only four hits and allowing no runs.

While Petrosian has proven to be a valuable asset out of the bullpen, Snow maintains that Petrosian has a chance to move into the starting rotation. But with all the new faces on the CSULB squad, anything can happen.

"We have so many new players," said Snow. "I think they're starting to figure out what they're capable of."

The Golden Bears, the second of three Pac-10 teams the 49ers will face this season, enter the four-game series at Blair Field with a record of 4-4, coming off a series with Pepperdine.