April 27, 2008
Box Score
Long Beach, Calif. - For the second consecutive day, the Pacific Baseball team just missed upsetting No. 23 Long Beach State as the Tigers took the 49ers to 11 innings on Sunday, Apr. 27, before falling, 7-6.
The Tigers were upended by the 49ers, 14-13 on Saturday, Apr. 26.
Sunday's contest was the first extra inning game of the season for Pacific. It resulted in the Tigers' 31st loss of the season, falling to 8-31 overall and 2-13 in Big West Conference contests. Long Beach State moved to 26-15 and 8-4 in conference play.
The Dirtbags got on the board first in the bottom of the second inning with two runs on one hit. Long Beach State's Shane Peterson was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. One out later, Rylan Sandoval pulled a double down the left field line to drive in Peterson. Sandoval went to third on a balk by Pacific starter, junior Joey Centanni (San Diego, Calif.). Following another hit batter, Sandoval scored as the Tigers could not turn a double play around the horn.
Down 2-0 in the top of the fifth inning, senior Noah St. Urbain (Stockton, Calif.) pressed the reset button on the game with a two-run blast over the left field wall. Junior Kurt Wideman (Fallbrook, Calif.) was along for the ride provided by St. Urbain, leading off the fifth with a solid single up the middle.
Long Beach State nabbed the lead right back in the fifth back-to-back hits from Steve Tinoco and Jason Corder. Tinoco laced a two-out single to center, then Corder pulled a double into the left field corner.
Like they did all weekend, the Tigers responded to Long Beach State's challenge in their next at-bat. Senior Adam Ching (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) and sophomore Mike Walker (Marysville, Calif.) posted back-to-back singles, putting runners at first and second. Ching moved to third on a fly out by freshman Nick Longmire (San Diego, Calif.), then freshman Brian Martin (Livermore, Calif.) lifted a sinking sacrifice fly into right field to plate Ching and tie the game at 3-3.
With two outs in the inning, Wideman drew a walk, then junior Mike McKeever (San Diego, Calif.) singled through the right side to give the Tigers a 4-3 lead. St. Urbain followed with a bloop single to right to drive home Wideman. An errant throw into the infield allowed McKeever to score as well, giving Pacific a 6-3 lead.
Centanni got some help from his friends in the bottom of the sixth to keep the game at 6-3 as centerfielder Nick Longmire threw out Danny Espinosa at the plate in the sixth to end the inning on a double play. Centanni left the game with a chance to win, allowing just three run on six hits and two walks in six innings.
The score remained 6-3 until the bottom of the eighth, when Peterson blasted his seventh home run of the season over the left field wall off of Pacific reliever, junior Larry Holscher (McArthur, Calif.), to make it 6-4. The next batter, Espinosa, reached third base on a three-base error by Pacific left fielder, senior Brett Manning (Boulder, Colo.). Espinosa scored moments later on a single by Sandoval.
Leading 6-5 entering the ninth inning, freshman Thomas Berolzheimer (Stockton, Calif.) was charged with the task of nailing the game down against the top of the Long Beach State order. Leadoff man Jonathan Jones blooped a single into right field to start the inning, following a sacrifice, Corder sank Pacific's hopes of a win in regulation with a game-tying single into left-center.
Later in the inning the Dirtbags threatened to take the game in regulation, having loaded the bases with two outs. Pacific turned to sophomore David Rowse (Pleasanton, Calif.) and the left-hander delivered. Rowse left the bases stranded by striking out Jason Tweedy, sending the game to extra innings.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, Long Beach State closer Bryan Shaw held Pacific at bay in the tenth and stranded McKeever at third in the eleventh after a leadoff double.
Given another chance to snatch the game away from Pacific in the eleventh inning, Long Beach State took advantage. Espinosa bounced a one-out single up the middle, then Sandoval doubled into left field. After an intentional pass to Tweedy, TJ MIttelstaedt singled home Espinosa to give the Dirtbags the game,
Shaw (2-0) picked up his second win of the weekend, pitching three shutout innings, while striking out five.
Rowse (0-4) was the tough luck loser for the second straight night, allowing one run on five hits and a walk in 1.2 innings.
While Shaw picked up the win, Brett Lorin kept Long Beach State in the game with two shutout innings in the seventh and the eighth for the second-straight day.
St. Urbain led the Pacific offense with a 3-for-4 day and three RBI. Walker also finished with three hits, while Ching, McKeever and Wideman finished with two hits in the contest.
The Tigers are back in action on Tuesday, Apr. 29 as Pacific hosts San Francisco at 6 p.m. in Klein Family Field
