Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
42-19-1
Cal State Fullerton
38-22
Dirtbags Drop Game Two of Super Regional to Fullerton
6/10/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Saturday afternoon's game was one to forget for Long Beach State (42-19-1) as the Dirtbags committed four errors and weren't in the game for long in a 12-0 loss to rivals Cal State Fullerton (38-22) at Blair Field. The visiting Titans led 9-0 after a seven-run third inning and never looked back, evening the Long Beach Super Regional at a game apiece. Sunday's finale will send one team to the College World Series and the other to the offseason.
Jarren Duran and Laine Huffman each had two-hit games for the Dirtbags, but the offense struggled to get untracked against Fullerton starter John Gavin, who threw a complete game shutout in a must-win game for the Titans.
Senior Dave Smith made his third start of the postseason on Saturday and got off to a tough start by hitting batters with his first two pitches. The Titans would turn that star into a pair of first-inning runs, only one of which was earned. The damage came in the third inning when Fullerton scored seven times on eight hits, busting the game open to a 9-0 margin.
Connor Riley (3.1 IP) and Sebastian Sanchez (1.2 IP) worked the final five innings of the ballgame to preserve the Dirtbags bullpen, allowing a combined three runs (two earned) on four hits.
The four errors were the most for the Dirtbags in a game since Mar. 21 at San Diego State. That was previously LBSU's biggest loss of the season, a 12-5 final. This was only the third time all season that the Dirtbags allowed an opponent to score 10 or more runs.
Sunday's game will be the most important baseball game ever played between Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton, with the winner earning a trip to Omaha. First pitch is set for Noon at Blair Field and the game will be shown on either ESPN 2 or ESPN.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Gavin, John (8-2)
L: Smith, Dave (9-2)
Batting:
SH: Jackson, Daniel 1
Base Running:
HBP: Duran, Jarren 1 ; Banuelos, David 1
Batting:
2B: Cullen, Hunter 1 ; Hudgins, Chris 1
HR: Hudgins, Chris 1
RBI: Valenzuela, Sahid 1 ; Persinger, Dillon 1 ; Richards, Timmy 2 ; LoForte, Hank 1 ; Bryant, Taylor 1 ; Cullen, Hunter 1 ; Hudgins, Chris 4
SH: Persinger, Dillon 1
SF: Bryant, Taylor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hurst, Scott 2 ; Valenzuela, Sahid 1 ; Persinger, Dillon 1 ; Richards, Timmy 3 ; LoForte, Hank 1 ; Cullen, Hunter 2 ; Hudgins, Chris 2
HBP: Hurst, Scott 1 ; Valenzuela, Sahid 1
