Last Home Series for McCauley, Wedell
49ers Prepare for Pacific on Senior Weekend
April 25, 2006 PDF VERSION of this RELEASE 23-18, 8-4 Big West
home: 12-7 • away: 4-5 • neutral: 7-6 Quickly:
Long Beach State prepares for its final home series of the season when it tangles with Pacific, Apr. 29-30. It's senior weekend, and LBSU will say goodbye to its two seniors, Melanie McCauley and Tiffanie Wedell. The 49ers will also honor Assistant Coach Ralph Levy in his final year of service in the dugout.
About Pacific:
The Tigers own a 24-18, 5-4 mark this season...Pacific had won 10 of 12 from Mar. 22 thru Apr. 15, before losing three straight to conference-leader CS Fullerton last weekend...Gina Carbonatto leads Pacific with a .409 batting average and 32 runs scored...Briana Santos owns a 9-5 record with a 2.54 ERA in the circle.
UC Riverside Recap:
Thanks to a Breezy Goad RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Long Beach State softball team defeated UC Riverside, 4-3, to win the series at the 49er Softball Complex on Sunday. The win also allowed LBSU starting pitcher Michelle Turner to become the eighth pitcher in school history to win at least 20 games in the circle for a single season. The junior gave up two earned runs to go along with nine strikeouts to improve to 20-8 on the season. For the week Turner compiled a 3-0 record (LBSU defeated CS Fullerton, 5-1 on Wednesday), and recorded 23 strikeouts with just three earned runs and five walks. Turner has already set a program and Big West Conference record with five conference Pitcher of the Week honors this season. UC Riverside scored in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead, before the 49ers responded with two runs in the bottom of the third inning. After consecutive singles from Goad and Turner to begin the inning, Lacy Tyler then connected for a single to plate both Goad and Turner to give LBSU a 2-1 lead. The 49ers pushed their lead to 3-1 after Tiffanie Wedell's single scored Kourtnee Gervasi in the fifth inning. The Highlanders clawed back in the top of the sixth inning after a pair of RBI singles from Cassie Greenawalt and Jennifer Thompson to help even the score at 3-3. Long Beach State saved the drama for the bottom of the seventh inning with Wedell on third base and two outs. Goad swung at the first pitch and connected for a single to score Wedell and give The Beach the 4-3 win.
The 49ers earned a split vs. Riverside, winning game one, 2-1 in 10 innings and falling 1-3 in game two from the 49er Softball Complex on Apr. 22. In the first game, the Highlanders struck first in the third inning when a Kristie Martinez RBI double plated April Murray to give UCR a 1-0 lead. Long Beach State came right back in the bottom of the third when Michelle Turner's single scored Jessica Beaver, who was walked on her plate appearance, to even the score at 1-1. Neither team could do much over the next six innings, until the bottom of the 10th inning. Beaver led off the frame with a single and then was advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt from Turner. Beaver then moved to third base after Jonae Perez grounded out. After Lacy Tyler was issued a walk, Ashley Weber's single thru the middle to score Beaver and give The Beach the 2-1 win. Turner collected her Big West best 19th win in the circle (10 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 8 K's). Game two saw Riverside score three runs in the first three innings for a 3-0 lead before LBSU scored in the fourth inning (Turner) courtesy of an error by the UCR catcher, Cassie Greenawalt. The 49ers however could not generate any more runs, by leaving nine runners on base. Christin Songer allowed just four hits to earn the win in the circle for UCR. Headlines in ‘06
• Long Beach State will try and win its third consecutive Big West Title (6th overall) in program history
• The 49ers were picked second, behind CS Fullerton in the annual Big West Pre-Season Coaches Poll, released in January
• Long Beach State lost three first-team all-conference performers last year (Meredith Cervenka, Lauren Johnson, Marcel Torres). Cervenka was a three-time BWC Co-Pitcher of the Year, while Torres was a two-time BWC Co-Pitcher of the Year
• Keep an eye on: Jonae Perez, Michelle Turner, and Tiffanie Wedell. Perez was the 2005 Big West Freshman Field Player of the Year. Wedell has been the staple at second base for the 49ers. She was a 2005 Big West Honorable Mention, and Michelle Turner is a transfer pitcher from UCLA.
• Long Beach State has a very young squad, featuring seven newcomers (six freshmen). Michelle Turner is a junior.
• The 49ers have played six opponents ranked in the Top-25 (UCLA, Arizona, Oklahoma, Washington, Mississippi State, and Northwestern) this season. Long Beach State is 2-6 vs. teams ranked in the Top 25 this season Big West News:
With all seven softball teams either at or past the midpoint of the conference schedule, the race for the Big West crown heats up this week. First place Cal State Fullerton (28-19, 9-3) takes a break from league play this week and watches as closest pursuers Long Beach State and Cal Poly attempt to make up ground.
Although the Titans are not playing a Big West opponent this week, by no means are they inactive. In fact, they play the most games of any team with five, starting with a non-conference home doubleheader against UNLV on Thursday. CSF then continues its five-game homestand with a weekend series against future Big West member UC Davis. With two wins this week, the Titans will have reached the 30-win plateau for the eighth time in the last nine seasons.
Long Beach State, in a quest to win its third straight Big West championship, meets Pacific in a crucial final home series. The 49ers currently trail CSF by one game. LBSU's last six regular season games are all on the road. Pacific fell out of first place after being swept by Fullerton last week and looks to get back on track against the 49ers. The Tigers trail the all-time series 52-23 and have lost seven of the last eight meetings. Prior to the hiccup against CSF, Pacific had won 10 of its last 12.
Cal Poly is in position to tie Fullerton for first place with a sweep this week of Central Coast rival UC Santa Barbara. The Mustangs have won five straight from the Gauchos, and enter the series playing their best softball of the season. CP owns a season-high six-game winning streak and stands above .500 for the first time this year after winning 17 of its last 22 contests. The Gauchos have been a tale of feast or famine recently. In their last five losses, the offense has produced a combined total of three runs. In their last three victories, UCSB's bats have exploded for 27 runs.
In its seven conference losses, UC Riverside has lost four by one run and another by just two runs. Those five close losses all took place against Big West contenders Long Beach State and Pacific. This weekend the Highlanders host Cal State Northridge, which ended a six-game losing streak emphatically after outscoring UCSB 18-1 in a doubleheader last week. CSUN plays its next six straight on the road.
No Sweeps Here:
Long Beach State has not been swept in a conference series since the 2002 season. And just to let you know, LBSU won 20 straight conference series from April 26, 2003 to April 9, 2006. The streak was snapped at CS Fullerton on Apr. 15, 2006. After its series win over UC Riverside (Apr. 22-23), LBSU has won 20 of its last 21 conference series since April of 2003.
A Look Inside the Numbers:
Long Beach State has been most productive in the third and fifth innings of games this season. The 49ers have scored a total of 28 runs in the third inning and 30 in the fifth inning. ...The 49ers are 13-2 when leading after four innings (4-12 when trailing after four innings; 6-4 when tied after four innings)...Long Beach State is 2-6 vs. teams in the Top 25 this season, and 10-4 vs. teams ranked in the West Region
Player Notes
# 15 Michelle Turner (Big West Pitcher of the Year Candidate)
>>> Five-time Big West Pitcher of the Week (Feb. 20, Mar. 13, Mar. 20, Apr. 3, Apr. 10)
>>> Pitched the seventh perfect game in school history (was the sixth player to throw a perfect game) and added a career-high 11 strikeouts in Long Beach State's 8-0 win over Mercer on Mar. 10
>>>Established a school and conference record with her fifth Big West Pitcher of the Week selection on Apr. 10. Turner tied Meredith Cervenka on Apr. 3 as the only other player in program history to garner four Pitcher of the Week honors
>>>Became the eighth pitcher in school history to win at least 20 games in the circle for a single season on Apr. 23
• Leads the 49ers with four HR and 24 RBI this season, and has compiled a .264 batting average (third on the team)
• Has a team-high 13 doubles
• Has 147 strikeouts in the circle with a 20-8 record and a 1.54 ERA. She has walked just 16 batters all season
• Went 3-0 for the week of Apr. 17-23, and recorded 23 strikeouts with just three earned runs and five walks.
• Turner picked up two wins in the circle (Apr. 8-9) and posted her sixth shutout of the season after Long Beach State's 1-0 win over Cal Poly (4/9). Turner allowed just four hits and struck out five. She also produced the RBI single in the first inning, scoring Breezy Goad from third base.
• Collected wins No. 13 and 14 at CS Northridge (Apr. 2). In game one, Turner allowed just two runs on four hits to go along with six strikeouts in the 3-2 victory. Moreover, the 49ers rallied from a 2-0 deficit with a three-run sixth inning. Turner held strong in the bottom half of the sixth and seventh innings without allowing a hit...Also went 2-for-4 with two doubles in G2
• Recorded her fifth shutout of the season in the 1-0 win over Utah Valley State on Mar. 19
• Tossed a three-hitter to lead Long Beach State to a 4-1victory over Wichita State to open the Hillenbrand Invitational (Mar. 3)
• Had two 2-run home runs and nine strikeouts in the circle to lift Long Beach State to a 7-4 win over South Florida at the Hillenbrand Invitational (3/4)
• Tossed a three-hit shutout and went 2-for-4 from the plate with a pair of RBI in LBSU's G1 win over Southern Utah (Feb. 22)
• Went 2-for-2 with a run and RBI vs. Wagner on Feb. 25
• Pitched a five-hit shutout with six strikeouts (no walks) in LBSU's 1-0 win over UCLA on Feb. 15. Also scored the game-winning run in that contest
• Made her 49er debut by pitching a one-hit shutout (with five strikeouts) in the 4-0 season-opening win over Illinois-Chicago on Feb. 10. Turner also connected for a two-run home run in the fifth inning of that game
• Ranks No. 1 in the Big West in ERA (1.57)
• Ranks No. 1 in the Big West in Opp BA (.205)
• Ranks No. 1 in the Big West in Wins (18)
• Ranks No. 3 in the Big West in K's (130)
• Ranks No. 1 in the Big West in Doubles (12)
• Ranks No. 7 in the Big West in RBI (23)
#2 Jessica Beaver
• Connected for her third HR of the season (first career grand slam) in the fifth inning to help lift Long Beach State to a 5-1 win over CS Fullerton on Apr. 19
• Hit the game-winning three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning of G2 to lift LBSU to a 5-3 win over Utah Valley State on Mar. 19
• Has two of Long Beach State's five triples this season
• Has compiled a .223 batting average with 21 runs and 20 RBI
• Connected for a three-run triple vs. Mercer on Mar. 10
• Hit .267 at the Hillenbrand Invitational, Mar. 3-5, with two runs, one HR, and three RBI. Hit a two-run home run in the first inning in LBSU's 4-1 win over Wichita State (3/3)
• Went 2-for-3 with a run scored in the season opening win over Illinois-Chicago (Feb. 10)
• Went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, including a three-run double in the fifth inning in LBSU's 11-6 win over Southern Utah on Feb. 10
# 1 Breezy Goad
• Leads the team with a .284 batting average and has scored a team-high 23 runs
• 9-for-13 on stolen base attempts (No. 3 in the Big West)
• Had the game-winning RBI with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning in G3 vs. UC Riverside on Apr. 23
• Scored the game-winning run in G3 vs. Cal Poly in the first inning (4/9)
• Went 2-for-3 with a run scored in LBSU's 8-4 G2 win at CS Northridge on Apr. 2
• Was 2-for-4 with a solo HR in the first inning vs. Northwestern on Mar. 25
• Hit the game-winning RBI single in the seventh inning of G1 to help LBSU to the 1-0 win on Mar. 19...Hit .429 in the double-header vs. Utah Valley State (3-for-7)
• Hit .357 at the Long Beach State Invitational (Mar. 10-12), including a 4-for-5 performance with four RBI vs. Syracuse on Mar. 11
#3 Tiffanie Wedell
• Hitting .228 with 15 runs scored and 13 RBI
• Has had two five-game hitting streaks (Feb. 10-12, Feb. 23-Mar. 3)
• 8-for-8 in stolen base attempts (No. 7 in the Big West)
• Went 2-for-4 with two RBI including an RBI double in the seventh inning of G2 at CS Northridge (Apr. 2)
• Went 2-for-3 with a run and RBI vs. Kentucky on Feb. 24
• Had three RBI in LBSU's 6-2 win over Tulsa on Feb. 18
• Went 2-for-3 with a run scored in the season opening win vs. Illinois-Chicago (Feb. 10)
• Went 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI in the 11-6 win over Southern Utah (Feb. 10)
#16 Kourtnee Gervasi
• Hit .500 at CS Northridge (3-for-6 with a run scored) on Apr. 6
• Connected for a three-run HR in the fourth inning vs. Northwestern to tie the score at 5-5 (Mar. 25)...The 49ers went on to win 6-5.
• Had a six-game hitting streak (Feb. 10-18)
• Hitting .239, with 14 runs and 12 RBI
• Had a .444 batting average at the Long Beach State Invitational (Mar. 10-12), with three runs, three doubles, and an RBI
• Hit her first home run of the season with a two-run shot in the second inning vs. South Florida on Mar. 4
• Posted a .500 batting average for the week (Feb. 15-18) with a run and an RBI...Had the game-winning RBI in the 1-0 win over UCLA on Feb. 15
• Hit an RBI single in the third inning of LBSU's 11-6 win over Southern Utah (Feb. 10)
49er Notables...
Jonae Perez is hitting .308 in conference play...Jessica Beaver has six RBI and six runs scored in BWC play...Opponents are hitting just .195 vs. Michelle Turner in league play... |
