Dirtbags Drop First Series of the Year

Saturday, March 29

Berkeley, Calif.

1:00 PM

Long Beach State University

17-6

California

17-5-1

Long Beach State

California

Danny Espinosa ignited two early rallies for LBSU.

3/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 29, 2008

Box Score

BERKELEY-- No. 11-ranked California (17-5-1) became the first opponent to win a series from No. 4-ranked Long Beach State (17-6), defeating the Dirtbags 10-6 on Saturday afternoon. LBSU has now dropped three-straight.

David Cooper, the former CS Fullerton first baseman, homered twice in the win.

Vance Worley (3-1) allowed a solo home run to Dylan Tonneson in the sixth, as Cal took the lead for the second time, at 7-6, before adding two runs in the seventh. Worley gave up nine runs (six earned) on 12 hits over six plus innings.

Reliever Kevin Miller (3-0) pitched 2.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen for the win, after Cal Starter Craig Bennigson, who gave up six runs on four hits over the first 4.1 innings, staked LBSU to leads of 4-1 and 6-4.

Jonathan Jones broke the 4-4 tie in the fifth with an RBI single, extending his hit streak to 11 games, before a bases loaded walk by Miller made it 6-4. Cal though answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie it at 6-6, the second time Cal had tied the game.

Jason Corder returned to his former collegiate home and hit a grand slam to left field to give LBSU a 4-1 lead in the third. Danny Espinosa started the rally with a one-out single, before a Robert Burk single and Jones walk loaded the bases. A Burk error in the fourth allowed three unearned runs to tie the game at 4-4.

The series concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m., before the team heads to Stanford on Monday and at Fresno State on Tuesday.