April 1, 2011

Box Score

STOCKTON, Calif. - Junior LF Daniel Johnston extended his hit streak to a Big West leading 11 games, but the Pacific Tigers dropped their Big West opener to Long Beach State Friday night at Klein Family Field, 20-0.

Pacific freshman starter LHP Kyle Crawford (Modesto, Calif.) quickly retired the first two batters before Matt Duffy's two-strike check swing fell over the infield for a bloop hit. It was all downhill for the Tigers from there as the 49ers posted back-to-back doubles, and a single for a 3-0 lead.

The 49ers posted four runs in the second, two unearned following back-to-back singles, a throwing error, and a two-run double. After junior RHP John Prato Matthews (Davis, Calif.) replaced Crawford, Long Beach State then blew the game wide open in the third, sending 11 men to the plate and tallying eight runs on eight hits.

Duffy posted an RBI single in the fourth off redshirt freshman LHP Andrew Wild (Visalia, Calif), and Matt Hibbert added a sacrifice fly as the 49ers scored two more in the fourth. Hibbert added an RBI single in the fifth, before Wild turned in scoreless sixth inning.

In the seventh, after two men were on, freshman RHP Peter Miller (Santa Cruz, Calif.) relieved Wild, only to be greeted by Duffy's two-run double to centerfield before he coaxed a pair of groundouts to end the inning.

After Miller pitched a scoreless eighth, junior catcher Jacob Sylvester (Livermore, Calif.) made his debut on the mound, and turned in a scoreless ninth despite a walk and a hit batter. Sylvester got Duffy to fly out to right, as Duffy finished five-for-six with a walk and seven RBI.

Long Beach State's Andrew Gagnon allowed three hits to Pacific in seven innings of work while striking out eight.

Junior CF Brett Christopher (Livermore, Calif.) singled in the first - and was thrown out stealing for just the third time this season - to finish one-for-three on the day. Leftfielder Daniel Johnston (Portola Valley, Calif.) singled in the fifth to extend his hit streak to 11 games. Senior 3B/1B Brian Martin (Livermore, Calif.) added a single in the sixth.

Senior OF/DH Matt Carvutto was held hitless in four at bats to snap his hit streak at 11. The 11 straight games ties for the longest in the Big West this season, as Carvutto and Johnston are among four Big West players to hit in 11 straight. Long Beach State improves to 13-11 overall, 1-0 in the Big West, while Pacific falls to 7-15 on the year, 0-1 in the Big West. The series continues on Saturday at 6 p.m. with senior RHP Marcus Pointer (Pacifica, Calif.) on the mound opposite LBSU's RHP Branden Pinder .Pointer (1-3) carries a 5.57 ERA into Saturday's ballgame in 39 innings of work. In his last two starts, however, Pointer is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA. Pinder, the 49ers' junior starter is 0-3 on the season with a 6.26 ERA in 27.1 innings. He lasted 4.2 innings in his last start Saturday against Stanford, allowing five earned runs on seven hits while striking out four. Game three of the series is Sunday at 1 p.m., as the Tigers Jake Hummel (Peoria, Ariz.) opposes LBSU's Shawn Stuart. Hummel tossed a complete game shutout last Sunday against San Francisco, as he posted a career-high 10 strikeouts in a 3-0 Tigers victory, a performance which earned him Big West Pitcher of the Week honors. Hummel is 3-2 in six starts with a 2.25 ERA in 44.0 innings. Stuart, a junior RHP, is 2-2 on the season with a a 3.60 ERA in 30.0 innings. In his last start, he took a loss Sunday to Stanford, allowing four earned runs on nine hits in six innings.