Mid-week Wrap: Dirtbags drop two

LBSU (3-4) played Tuesday and Wednesday night at Blair losing 10-5 to USC and 4-2 to Waseda University from Japan.

Playing with wooden bats Wednesday night in an exhibition game against Waseda the Dirtbags fell 4-2.

Tuesday night's game was one for the ages. Five homers - three from the visiting Trojans - were slammed out of cavernous Blair Field. The historic 7th street ballpark is one of the most spacious in the country and plays even bigger at night when the heavy air usually holds flyballs from carrying out. But USC blasted three, including a pair of three-run bombs in the third to grab a 7-3 lead it would not relinquish after LBSU took a 3-0 lead in the second.

Branden Pinder and Eddie Magallon gave up all ten runs but only four were earned as two Dirtbag errors proved very costly.

Kellen Hoime and Joey Terdoslavich went deep for LBSU but it was not enough.

The Dirtbags host the University of Washington this weekend.

Weekend Wrap: University of Arizona

Rain cancelled Sunday's final game but a little desert air was just what the doctor ordered for those dormant Dirtbag bats on Friday and Saturday.

Devin Lohman and Steve Tinoco led the way Saturday with three hits apiece as LBSU took the series with a 10-3 win.

Tinoco added three RBI's and Drew Gagnon gave up just one earned run in six innings to get the win. A four-run LBSU third blew the game open for the Dirtbags.

Facing a seemingly insurmountable 4-0 deficit after just one frame Friday night the LBSU bats kept chipping away and completed their comeback in the ninth with an 8-7 win.

Jonathan Jones had four of a season-high 16 Dirtbag hits and Tinoco added three more.

With a run in the seventh and eighth and two in the ninth, LBSU got the win they so desperately needed.

Jake Thompson was let off the hook after giving up seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits in just five innings. Four Dirtbag relievers held U of A the rest of the way enabling LBSU to steal the victory.

Long Beach hosts USC Tuesday night at home as they kick off a season-high nine game homestand.

Bruins dominate Dirtbags at Blair

Garett Claypool has the Dirtbags number and the UCLA bats continued to roar en route to a 10-1 thumping of LBSU Tuesday night at Blair Field.

The 17th-ranked Bruins have scored more than ten runs in each of their four contests this season. The Beach? Not more than two. That is reflected in their records as UCLA is a perfect 4-0 and LBSU fell to 1-3.

I've got the full rundown here including Coach Weathers postgame reaction. Here's the audio link.

The Dirtbags hit the road this weekend for three games with the University of Arizona.

Weekend Wrap: Pepperdine, Oregon & CSUF

After starting the season off with a bang the Dirtbags dropped their final two weekend contests.

On Sunday Long Beach went to Fullerton's Goodwin Field looking to reverse a bitter end to last year's season by upending the Titans in a rare, early season showdown. But #3 CSUF continued their recent dominance over the Dirtbags with an 8-1 rout. Steve Tinoco broke out of his early 0-for-8 slump going 3-for-4 and Jordan Casas added a pair of hits but for the second straight day seven LBSU hits weren't nearly enough.

Fullerton starter Tyler Pill outdueled Long Beach's Braden Pinder, making his first start in the black and gold, and a late inning offensive barrage by the rival Titans doomed the Dirtbags.

Oregon was the winner Saturday night at Blair by a 6-2 score. Drew Gagnon surrendered five runs in five and two-thirds and LBSU could not string together enough hits pushing across just one in the second and the eighth.

The Dirtbags are back in action at Blair Tuesday night when they host the UCLA Bruins.

Jake the Great sparkles in his 2010 debut

Despite a few raindrops early and a lot more late it was a beautiful night at Blair Field in Long Beach. Behind the powerful right arm of junior Jake Thompson the Dirtbags won their season opener 2-1.

It was Thompson's first complete game at LBSU and he was dominant from start to finish. What was most impressive was his confidence in his stuff as he said after the game he was going to throw it down the middle and they were going to miss it or hit it - but even when they hit it he wasn't expecting much of a threat.

The middle infielders Devin Lohman and Derek Legg had a pair of hits and Brennan Metzger scored both runs.

For the full run-down of last night's action and post-game audio from Thompson and coach Mike Weathers, click here.

LBSU hosts the University of Oregon tonight at 5:30 with sophomore Drew Gagnon taking the bump for the black and gold.

Weathers and Thompson had some interesting insight into the competition he and Drew had in camp and both expect Gagnon to pick up right where Jake left off. That's on the audio so check it out.

First pitch just hours away and those links

Jake Thompson will take the mound for the Dirtbags tonight as the 2010 season gets under way at Blair Field.

I promised some links and here they are. The season preview and the sit-down with Coach Weathers.

I'll be at the game tonight and will be tweeting about the affair so follow me at twitter.com/philomis to get the updates as LBSU takes on Pepperdine at 6:30.

I will also be broadcasting the Tuesday night game against UCLA live on longbeachstate.com, so be sure to listen in for that.

Dirtbags open season Friday night

With a twist on the schedule LBSU plays their first hardball at Blair Field Friday night against the Waves of Pepperdine. Saturday night they host the University of Oregon, Sunday afternoon they travel to Goodwin Field to face bitter rival Cal State Fullerton and Tuesday night they host the UCLA Bruins.

Waiting on my season preview column to go online. I will post links to that as well as my interview with Coach Weathers when they are up.

Blair looks great. LBSU has taken over the operations of the historic stadium, and has already added a few of its own touches with many more to come.

Rockies shortstop and former Dirtbag standout Troy Tulowitzki will throw out the first pitch Friday night.

Check back in, there's a lot more to come!

Uh oh, there Wallach goes

Brett Wallach, son of former CSUF and Dodgers star Tim Wallach got picked 96th overall by the Boys in Blue and most certainly will make the jump from OCC to the Dodgers minor league system and never don the black and gold of The Beach.

The other notable player that was Dirtbag potential was Jonathan Singleton, from Millikan high in the LBC, but the Phillies snatched him up in the 5th round and he looks to make the jump as well. 

Still waiting for the "Long Beach State" to be attached to a 2009 pick.