Beach Rally Late to Win

Saturday, May 26

Fullerton, Calif.

6:00 PM

Long Beach State University

36-18, 0

Cal State Fullerton

33-22, 0

Long Beach State

CS Fullerton

5/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Howell Stifles Dirtbag Attack in 10-6 Win
Howell Has Four Hits and The Beach Score Seven in Final Two Innings

May 26, 2007

BOX SCORE

FULLERTON, CA-- No. 16-ranked Long Beach State (36-18, 14-6 Big West) scored seven runs over the final two innings in tying the series with No. 29-ranked CS Fullerton (33-22, 10-10 Big West) following a 10-6 win on Saturday night.

Catcher Travis Howell went 4-for-4 and threw out two runners on the base paths, tying the game in the eighth with an RBI double and adding a sacrifice fly in the ninth. Brandon Godfrey drove in three runs over the final two innings, as his infield single to the right side scored two in the ninth and made it 9-5. Godfrey finished with three hits.

Jeff Kaplan pitched seven strong innings, giving up just three runs on seven hits on 94 pitches, before leaving with a 5-3 lead for Fullerton. Reliever Adam Jorgenson (3-1) then gave up four runs in the eighth following an RBI single by Godfrey and a two-out double by Howell to tie it at 5-5. Tweedy's slow roller up the middle then scored two more and made it 7-5.

Fullerton tied the game in the fourth with a two-run double by Corey Jones to make it 3-3 after LBSU took an early 3-0 lead. John Curtis' two-run home run to right center then made it 5-3 in the fifth. The five runs all came with two outs. Three of the five runs came because of two walks and a hit by pitch.

Andrew Liebel (8-3) had not walked a batter over the previous 29 innings, but walked five on the night giving up five runs, but being bailed out by his offense, after pitching the first seven innings. Jason Markovitz then pitched a perfect eighth before giving it over to Bryan Shaw with a 10-5 lead in the ninth.

The Dirtbags pounded on Kaplan in the second innings, scoring three times to lead 3-0. An RBI single by Travis Howell to center allowed two runs to score as a high throw by centerfielder Clark Hardman allowed the second run to score from third. A long sacrifice fly by Chris Nelson then made it 3-0.

The series finale is on Sunday at 1 p.m.