Dirtbags Drop Series Opener At Fullerton

Friday, March 21

Fullerton, Calif.

7:00 PM

Long Beach State University

10-10

Cal State Fullerton

12-7

Long Beach State

Cal State Fullerton

Colby Brenner had three singles and a stolen base.

3/21/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 21, 2014

Box Score

FULLERTON, Calif. - The Long Beach State Dirtbags pounded out 10 hits on Friday night but managed just one run in a 5-1 loss at Cal State Fullerton. Colby Brenner went 3-for-4 at the top of the order and scored the Dirtbags (10-10) only run.

For the second game in a row, the Dirtbags opened up the scoring in the top of the first. Brenner started the game with his first of three singles the found its way into right field. He broke for second on the first pitch and then took third as the throw down to second kicked into right field.

Garrett Hampson seized the opportunity a few pitches later as he drove a fly ball into center field to bring in Brenner.

The Dirtbags would put a runner on base in each of the first seven innings with a base hit. Brenner had three and seven more Dirtbags had one over the course of the game. Titans' pitcher Thomas Eshelman was able to scatter the hits and was the benefactor of some heads-up defensive plays that ended any Dirtbags threat.

Eshelman threw his second complete game of the season to earn his fourth win for the Titans (12-8). He struck out six and allowed no free passes in the win.

After allowing the unearned run in the first, the Titan offense went to work for its pitcher. Matt Chapman started off a three-RBI night with a solo home run off the left field foul pole to lead off the bottom of the first. He padded the Titan lead in the fourth with a bases loaded single that scored a pair of runs.

The Titans took the lead in the third with a quick two-out rally. JD Davis doubled and Greg Velazquez took the first pitch he saw into center field for a run-scoring single.

Eshelman ran into a bit of trouble in the fourth when Richard Prigatano doubled to start the inning but he was later stranded on third. Ino Patron looked to have loaded the bases in the fifth with a bouncer up the middle that was snagged by the shortstop. His play to second wasn't in time to get Brenner but Colton Vaughn broke for home and a perfect throw from Timmy Richards retired Vaughn at the plate.

The Dirtbags picked up a few more hits in the sixth and another in the seventh before Eshelman tossed a perfect eighth and ninth to secure the win.

The Dirtbag bullpen held Long Beach State in the game with three strong innings. Eric Hutting also caught a runner trying to steal and picked off another runner at first to end the sixth inning. Logan Lombana was the beneficiary of Hutting's solid play as he tossed a scoreless sixth and a scoreless seventh. Nick Rossetta threw a perfect eighth with a couple of strikeouts.

Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton will square off again tomorrow at 6 p.m. in Fullerton, Calif.