Thomas Eshelman went 10 innings without allowing a run, but would that be enough for the anemic offense of Cal State Fullerton? Cal Poly and Long Beach State were tied 3-3 heading into the eighth inning, but who took the victory? And how about San Diego State falling behind to lowly San Jose State in the 11th inning only to stage a dramatic two-out rally.
All that plus more in Friday’s Southern California college baseball roundup that features video interviews and photo galleries from Fullerton & the Thursday matchup at UCLA:
#29 Cal State Fullerton 1, Hawai’i 0 (10 innings)
#2 Cal Poly 6, Long Beach State 3
Long Beach State (18-21, 5-5) got a game-tying sacrifice fly from Colby Brenner in the seventh inning, but Cal Poly (36-5, 12-1) immediately answered with three runs in the top of the eighth inning to take a 6-3 win in the series opener. Jordan Ellis put the Mustangs ahead with an RBI groundout and Nick Torres provided the cushion with a two-run single.
The Dirtbags got the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning, but Reed Reilly struck out Zack Rivera to end the game. Reilly picked up the win with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief. Staff ace Matt Imhof struggled with his command, walking four batters, uncorking two wild pitches and allowing three runs in 6.1 innings.
#23 UC Santa Barbara 6, UC Riverside 2
UC Santa Barbara held a 3-2 lead through six and a half innings despite having only two hits. But the Gauchos (25-10, 6-7) broke open the game with three runs in the bottom of the seventh innings to take the series opener with the Highlanders (17-19, 6-4).
Justin Jacome allowed two earned runs on three hits and four walks in 6.1 innings to improve to 5-1. Greg Mahle pitched the final 2.2 innings (2 H, 0 BB, 2 K) to pick up his first save of the season.
Loyola Marymount 6, Santa Clara 5
Loyola Marymount (24-14, 12-4) scored six runs in the first three innings and made it hold up behind Colin Welmon. Welmon struggled in the first inning, allowing four runs on two hits and three walks, but he settled in to throw up five zeros on the scoreboard following the opening frame.
Things got tense in the eighth inning when Santa Clara loaded the bases, but closer Bret Dahlson got a bit strikeout to end the threat and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for the four-out save — his eighth of the year. Austin Miller led the LMU offense, reaching three times, scoring twice and driving in a run.
USC 3, #27 UCLA 2
USC (23-17, 11-9) continued its winning ways with a 3-2 victory over crosstown rival UCLA (22-18, 9-8) to take a crucial Pac-12 series. Brent Wheatley (6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K) out-dueled the Bruins’ veteran lefty Grant Watson (7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K) before turning the ball over to the lefty-righty “Kyle Combo” in the bullpen with Kyle Twomey throwing 1.2 innings and Kyle Davis finishing off the final 1.1 for his sixth save.
UCLA took an early 2-1 lead on an errant throw by Dante Flores in the second inning, but the Trojans battled back with a pair of two-out runs in the fourth inning. After Watson retired the first two outs on five pitches, Vahn Bozoian singled, Reggie Southall knocked one into the left field corner to double Bozoian home and Kevin Swick floated a single into left-centerfield to plate Southall.
Here’s the full highlights from Pac-12 Networks (if their embed works):
If not, here at least is Reggie Southall’s game-tying double:
San Diego State 3, San Jose State 2 (11 innings
Bubba Derby struck out eight and allowed only two hits in 7.2 innings, but he didn’t factor in the decision. An unearned run in the sixth inning allowed San Jose State (12-30, 6-16) to even the game 1-1 after Brad Haynal hit a solo homer to put San Diego State (30-12, 11-8) ahead early.
In the 11th inning, it was another unearned run that put San Jose State ahead, 2-1, but with the bases loaded, Michael Cederoth got an inning-ending double play to keep it a one-run game. In the bottom half of the inning, Tim Zier and Ty France walked, advanced on a sacrifice bunt and scored the tying and winning runs on a crazy, wild pitch/throwing error combo.
San Jose State was one pitch away with a 1-2 count and two outs, but reliever Myles Richard threw a ball in the dirt past catcher Kyle Gallegos. When Gallegos tried to nail Zier at the plate, his throw to Richard sailed by and toward shortstop, allowing France to hustle home with the game-winning run. Cederoth picked up the win, pitching 3.1 innings — his longest outing since moving into the closer role.
#28 TCU 6, Cal State Northridge 2
Northridge (15-26) was fortunate to see All-American-caliber lefty Brandon Finnegan for only 2.2 innings as he left with an apparent injury after just 24 pitches. However, the Matadors’ offense still couldn’t string together hits against the Horned Frogs’ bullpen. Ryan Raslowsky, Nick Blaser and William Colantano each had two hits as the Matadors outhit TCU 10-6.
In the seventh inning, CSUN trimmed the lead to 3-2, but in the bottom half of the inning, two outfield errors contributed to a three-run inning. Garrett Crain reached three times for TCU, including knocking his first homer of the year.
