Long Beach State University Athletics
Softball To Host Long Beach Invitational This Week
3/3/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 3, 2008
Long Beach, Calif. -
Complete Tournament Release in PDF Format 
Long Beach Invitational
Long Beach welcomes some of the best teams in the country this week, as the 49ers host the Long Beach Invitational. Making their traditional move, the 49ers host the tournament in Lakewood, as the majority of the tournament will be played at Mayfair Park. Games all three days begin at 9 a.m.
Friday, March 7
9:00 a.m. - Rutgers vs. Northwestern (Box Score)
11:15 a.m. - UCLA vs. Virginia Tech (Box Score)
1:30 p.m. - Rutgers vs. Virginia Tech (Box Score)
3:45 p.m. - UCLA vs. Notre Dame (Box Score)
6:00 p.m. - Long Beach State vs. Notre Dame (Box Score)
6:00 p.m. - Northwestern vs. Cal State Fullerton (@ CSUF) (Box Score)
Saturday, March 8
9:00 a.m. - Virginia Tech vs. Northwestern (Box Score)
11:15 a.m. - Long Beach State vs. Northwestern (Box Score)
1:30 p.m. - Notre Dame vs. Virginia Tech (Box Score)
3:45 p.m. - Rutgers vs. Cal State Fullerton (Box Score)
6 p.m. - Rutgers vs. UCLA (Box Score)
8 p.m. - Cal State Fullerton vs. Notre Dame (Box Score)
Sunday, March 9
9:00 a.m. - Long Beach State vs. Rutgers (Box Score)
11:15 a.m. - Northwestern vs. UCLA (Box Score)
1:30 p.m. - Long Beach State vs. UCLA (Box Score)
10:00 a.m. - Cal State Northridge vs. Notre Dame (@LBSU) (Box Score)
Noon - Cal State Northridge vs. Virginia Tech (@ LBSU) (Box Score)
All games at Mayfair Park unless designated.
Team listed first in first-base dugout - Home team listed in BOLD
Toppling The Top
Determined to avoid another tournament snub, Long Beach State's resume already got stronger with two huge wins last week over ranked opponents. The 49ers stuck out a huge extra-inning win, giving No. 5 Florida their first loss of the season in 10 innings. Brooke Turner struck out 16 batters, breaking her own school record to help the 49ers get the 2-1 win. The 49ers continued a perfect week against ranked foes by beating No. 14 Hawai'i for the second time during the season. With Turner in the circle one more time, Long Beach State got two RBIs from both Jessica Beaver and Jennifer Griffin to pick up a 4-0 win. Turner added 10 strikeouts while recording the first of three shutouts in Las Vegas.
Terrific Turner
One of the early bright spots for Long Beach State in 2008 has been the play of pitcher Brooke Turner. The sister of Michelle Turner, a former 49er and Big West Pitcher of the Year, Brooke has wasted no time rewriting the 49er record books. In her first start against San Diego, Turner set a school record with 15 strikeouts, and topped that record against No. 5 Florida, giving the 19-0 Gators their first loss with 16 punchouts. Again winning the Big West Pitcher of the Week award, Turner has picked up the honor every week that the 49ers have played. Overall, Turner already has 89 strikeouts on the year, complementing her 8-2 overall record with an 0.59 ERA and five shutouts.
And The Other Half Of The Battery
Calling most of those games has been Brooke LeSage, Long Beach State's senior catcher and batting leader through 19 games. LeSage is hitting .389 and reaching base at a .476 rate, leading the team in both categories. Also dangerous on the basepaths, LeSage is leading the team in steals with five, proving she can move after getting on first. In her career, LeSage ranks in the LBSU top 10 in walks, and has five this season to go with four bean balls.
Leaving Las Vegas
Coming into the Eller Media Stadium Classic off of their huge win over Florida, the 49ers continued their hot streak with a 4-1 record at UNLV. Beating No. 14 Hawaii in their first game, the 49ers also picked up two teams receiving votes in the polls, as Turner shut down Western Kentucky and Danielle Linke hit a solo homerun to top Western Kentucky, and the 49er bats got after it in a 10-0 win over UNLV in the tournament's final game.
The Record Books
With six seniors on the 2008 squad, a number of records are under assault in the career categories. First on the list is the home run mark, where shortstop Jessica Beaver passed Jessica Smith for second place with her 17ther career home run. Jonae Perez and Whitney Radcliff are both in the top 10 in career batting average at the moment, as those marks shift quickly. Brooke LeSage is climbing up the walks list, and both Beaver and Lacy Tyler each are climbing up the runs scored and doubles lists. With most of the season left to play, those players should all tick off some names on those charts.
Island Hopping
Long Beach State posted a 4-3 record in their last competition at the Paradise Classic, playing their best ball at the end of the weekend in Honolulu. After losing a tough 10-inning battle with Central Florida in their first game, the 49ers proceeded to go 4-2 on the weekend. The Beach won their only game with Kentucky, and took their next two games against the Knights as well. Finally after losing two games to No.15 Hawai'i, the 49ers got the last laugh, defeating the Rainbow Wahine 1-0 behind a great game from pitcher Brooke Turner. The 49ers had three players make the all-tournament team, as infielders Jennifer Griffin and Jessica Beaver were selected to go with outfielder Lacy Tyler.
