Long Beach State University Athletics
Andrews Shuts Out Fullerton as Dirtbags Even Series
5/25/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
LONG BEACH, Calif. - The defending Big West Pitcher of the Week for three weeks running appears ready to make it four in a row. Junior lefthander Clayton Andrews was stellar once again on Friday night, throwing a complete game shutout with 11 strikeouts as he led Long Beach State (27-29, 12-11 Big West) to a 1-0 victory over rivals Cal State Fullerton (31-23, 17-6 Big West) on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field.
Andrews allowed just six men to reach base—all on singles by the Titans. His 11 strikeouts give him 118 for the season, and it was his fifth start with double-digit strikeouts this year. The 118 strikeouts are the most for any Dirtbags pitcher in a single season since Jered Weaver recorded 213 strikeouts and claimed National Player of the Year honors in 2004. With 118 K's in a season, Andrews is tied for eighth in program history for single-season strikeout totals.
.@clayton1andrews threw the first complete game shutout of his career with 11 K's to beat Fullerton, 1-0. Should he be @BigWestBaseball Pitcher of the Week for a 4th straight week? We think so... #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/g19M8lsXzm
— LBSU Dirtbags (@LBDirtbags) May 26, 2018
With the nine shutout innings, Andrews also lowered his season ERA to 1.99. He is the first Dirtbags starter to have an ERA under two since Freshman All-American Chris Mathewson had a 1.94 ERA in 2015. Andrews was also dominant against Fullerton this season, beating them twice on the mound. In his two starts against the Titans, he went 16.2 innings, allowing just one run (0.54 ERA) on 12 hits with two walks and 17 strikeouts.
The Dirtbags were able to give Andrews all the run support he needed in the fifth inning as Brooks Stotler led off the rally with a walk. Two batters later, a single from Tristan Mercadel put runners at the corners. Mercadel then took off for second on a steal, and Stotler made his move towards home and scored easily as the throw down to second scooted into the outfield. Stotler also singled in the game to extend his hitting streak to nine games.
Long Beach State will look to win the series on Saturday, hosting the Titans for a 2 p.m. contest on Fox Sports West. It will be Alumni Day and Senior Day at Blair Field, with the departing Dirtbags being honored before the game. Redshirt junior Tyler Radcliffe (2-4, 3.98 ERA) will make the start in his final game for Long Beach State, going against RHP Andrew Quezada (4-5, 3.71 ERA) for the Titans.
