Dirtbags sweep UNLV

LBSU runs their record to 10-12 with a big win on Sunday.

Speed, timely hitting and atrocious defense by UNLV gave the Dirtbags a big 13-4 win.

Rylan Sandoval blasted a 2-run bomb to left and Drew Gagnon worked 6 and 1/3 for his second win.

Dirtbags sweep the Rebels

Jake Thompson was fantastic Saturday afternoon at Blair making quick work of the Rebels en route to a 4-0 LBSU win. 

Thompson surrendered just one hit in eight strong innings and the small ball style worked to perfection for the Dirtbags.

Thompson, Dirtbags get pair of firsts

LBSU will make a short two game trip up North where they will play at Santa Clara Tuesday night and at California Wednesday afternoon. 

The Dirtbags were swept by Cal (11-8, 9-6 and 6-3) at Blair Feb 27-March 1.

They return home next week to start Big West play with a three game series with the Highlanders of UC Riverside.

Dirtbags Update

Sorry for the lack of content recently, folks. 

The lead-up to Spring Break was a busy one but with the mid-terms and papers behind me (for now) let's get back to the important stuff.

We are just under way at Blair today with the second of three games between LBSU and UNLV. 

Long Beach (8-12) won the opener 7-4 behind strong pitching from Adam Wilk and the small ball style Weathers promised to employ before the season.

The Dirtbags are looking for their first series win of the year.

On Tuesday, LBSU fell to the University of San Diego 12-5.

Last weekend the Dirtbags lost two of three at Wichita State. They won the opener 6-4 but dropped the next two 7-5 and 6-1.

News and Notes

- Head coach Mike Weathers continues to serve his three-game suspension for his tirade during a 12-6 win two weeks ago against LMU. Weathers was scheduled to be back for tomorrow's game but the ban was extended an extra game since he was in the ballpark Tuesday at San Diego.

- Pitching Coach Doc Strauss has been handling managerial duties in Weathers absence.

- Junior Steve Tinoco, who has been red hot since early March, has missed the last three games with a strained hamstring.

Make it two in a row for the Dirtbags

For just the second time this year LBSU (6-9) won consecutive games.

Both times the streak included wins over LMU (8-12), this time 12-6.

Tuesday night at Blair the bats came alive again with the Lions in the other dugout.

Eight of the 15 Dirtbag hits came from the corner infield spots as both third baseman Rylan Sandoval and first baseman Taylor Krick went 4-for-5 and scored three runs.

Krick, TJ Mittelstaedt and Brennan Metzger all had a pair of RBI's.

Manny McElroy (1-1) got the win in relief of Jeff Lease. Lease didn't make out of the third and gave up five runs but the Dirtbags came back.

For McElroy it was his first win in nearly two years.

The Dirtbags stole five bases in the game.

Mike Weathers was thrown out of the game in the sixth for arguing a play at second base.

LBSU will travel to Kansas tomorrow to take on the Wichita State Shockers Friday-Sunday.

49ers get the job done

The 49ers (not the Dirtbags) came from behind to beat Washington State 6-5 Sunday at Blair.

It was a big win for a young team searching for an identity, especially when their identity was challenged as a group.

49ers win one for the Dirtbags

News and Notes

Freshman standout Derek Legg is suffering from an oblique and groin injury that will keep him sidelined for Tuesday's game with LMU. 

Jordan Casas' ankle ailment will also keep him out of the lineup for that game. Both could be back for next weekend's series at Wichita State.

Senior catcher Kip Masuda who is just returning from a hamstring injury should start behind the plate Tuesday evening.

Jeff Lease will form the other half of the battery on the mound.

Thursday, LBSU will travel to Kansas for a three game set with the Wichita State Shockers, a perennial NCAA power the Dirtbags have squared off against every year under the tenure of Coach Weathers.

Dirtbags drop another to WSU

A five run ninth inning rally did in LBSU (4-9) as they lost again to the Cougars 8-5 Saturday afternoon.

Adam Wilk went seven innings giving up just three runs and leaving with the lead but the 'pen could not hold it.

Charlie Ruiz took the loss (1-1), surrendering three unearned runs, and striking out four Cougars in just 2/3's of an inning.

But his split-finger fastball was too much for catcher John Hill to handle, as he was charged with a passed ball and Ruiz with two wild pitches.

Devin Lohman, Matt Avery and Steve Tinoco all had two hits for the Dirtbags.

Dirtbags shutout in opener by WSU

LBSU (4-8) managed just five hits Friday night at Blair Field and Washington State (4-8) rolled to a 9-0 victory in the first of three games.

Dirtbags starter Jake Thompson (0-3) gave up seven runs in 4 and 1/3's innings and Long Beach had no answer for the Cougars Matt Way (1-2) who went eight innings surrendering just four hits while striking out eight.

WSU first baseman Alex Burg blasted two homers and drove in four Cougars.

Game two will be Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.

LBSU brings big bats back to SoCal

After leaving the cozy confines of beautiful new Columbia Stadium it seemed like the Dirtbags offense would struggle upon returning to Blair Field.

This was not the case Tuesday night.

LBSU erupted for 16 runs in the first five innings alone en route to a thrashing of the Toreros of San Diego 17-3.

While a Tuesday game in early March is not a big deal it was a nice win for the D'Bags considering their loss to USD in last year's Long Beach regional.

Tre Dennis - who has looked tentative and lost early on after transferring to The Beach - slugged a home run, reached base six times and had four RBI's.

Jonathan Jones and Kellen Hoime both went 3-for-5 and scored seven runs combined.

Devin Lohman, Rylan Sandoval and a red-hot Steve Tinoco all added a pair of knocks.

Taylor Krick blasted his second homer of the year.

On the bump Jeff Lease (1-0) had a solid outing and earned the win. He went the minimum but struck out six and gave up just one first inning run. He gave up four hits and walked one. 

Anthony Carrillo, Josh Corrales and Manny McElroy each worked a scoreless inning while striking out two.

Washington States comes to LBSU for a weekend series with the Dirtbags. First pitch on Friday will be at 6:30 p.m.

The Cougars are just 3-8 on the season but eight of their eleven games have been against ranked opponents (0-3 at #22 Arkansas, 2-2 vs. #16 Oklahoma and 0-1 at #7 Rice).

Dirtbags salvage game three

Tinoco slugs Dirtbags to victory
LBSU drops two out of three in South Carolina

Long Beach State (3-7) escaped Columbia, South Carolina with one win by beating 25th-ranked USC at their own power game en route to a 10-7 win Sunday afternoon.

Junior Steve Tinoco had a career-day going 5-for-5, scoring four runs and hitting three solo home runs.

The first baseman had just three hits all season entering play Sunday and three home runs in his career at Long Beach State.

Derek Legg added three hits while Jonathan Jones and Jordan Casas had two apiece.

Freshman Andrew Gagnon (1-0) got his first collegiate win on the mound in five innings of work, giving up four runs while striking out seven, and Charlie Ruiz got his second save.

It was the first loss of the season for South Carolina (8-1).

The Dirtbags dropped Saturday's contest despite back-to-back homers in the first inning from Devin Lohman and TJ Mittlestaedt that gave LBSU an early 2-0 lead.

Adam Wilk (1-1) was the loser for The Beach going 4 2/3 innings and was charged with four earned runs.

In Friday night's series opener Legg went 3-for-4 and belted a ninth inning grand slam but it wasn't enough as LBSU fell to the Gamecocks 15-8.

Jake Thompson (0-2) took the loss for LBSU giving up five earned runs in 4 1/3 innings and Tyler Topp got hit hard out of the bullpen surrendering seven earned in just 3 2/3 innings of relief.

The Dirtbags found their power stroke over the weekend crushing seven homers in the three games after hitting only one in their first seven games.

LBSU is back at Blair Field for their next five games. The host San Diego on Tuesday with the first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Carolina on my mind

The Dirtbags are in Columbia, South Carolina for a three game set with the Gamecocks.

While the LBSU bats have woke up a bit of late their best chance of winning lies with the Thompson-Wilk-Gagnon tandem that will start on the mound for The Beach

All three have shown great stuff on the young season.

The 25th-ranked South Carolina squad is 6-0 in 2009.

LBSU is just 2-5 after dropping back-to-back series' with USC and Cal.

First pitch tomorrow will be at 4 p.m. Pacific time.

Full run down of the series from the USC perspective

Dirtbags are swept by Cal

Cal's bats got after it again Sunday to the tune of 15 hits and beat LBSU 6-3 to take all three games over the weekend.

Thoughts

It's not that Long Beach State is that bad - it's a young inexperienced team that is taking its lumps - but in Cal they faced a better team that knows how to win ball games.

Jake Thompson was hit hard, despite pitching into the seventh and working out of some jams. 

He was also throwing hard, topping out at a blazing 94 mph on the gun. It's his off-speed stuff, or better use of it, that will really make him effective especially against good line-ups.

Probables

Thompson will get the nod Friday night at South Carolina while Adam Wilk should get the Saturday start due in large part to his dominating performance at LMU Wednesday.

Drew Gagnon will get another Sunday start after throwing in relief yesterday.

Notes

South Carolina (4-0) has just begun play in a beautiful new $25 million+ facility. 

Gamecocks coach Dave Tanner was the 2003 USA National team's head coach while Weathers was one of his assistants.

Tanner also coached with Weather's predecessor and Dirtbag legend Dave Snow in 1995 and 1996 including the Olympics in Atlanta.

LBSU will take just 25 players to Columbia, the first time Weathers had said he will have had to leave players at home.

It's the worst start for the Dirtbags since 1998 when they won just two of their first 11 (2-8-1), but rebounded to win that many at the College World Series (their last appearance in Omaha).