CSULB Media Release
LONG BEACH– Reliever David Roberts (2-1) gave up three runs to Fresno State (16-13) in the seventh inning as No. 9-ranked Long Beach State (17-9) dropped their sixth-straight and remained winless on their season-long 10-game road trip, losing 7-6.
Steve Tinoco’s two-run, one-out home run brought LBSU to within one in the ninth, but Brandon Burke notched the save with two groundouts to end the team’s five-game road trip through Northern California.
Bulldog reliever Jake Floethe (1-0), who allowed one unearned run over three innings, and Burke, combined to not allow a hit from the fifth until the ninth after LBSU tied it at 3-3 off of starter Holden Sprague.
Jason Corder hit his third homer in four days to cut the lead to 3-1 in the second, while Danny Espinosa also homered in the fourth, part of a two-run inning. Tinoco’s RBI single, part of three RBIs, tied it at 3-3.
Jonathan Jones hit streak of 13 games was snapped after going 0-for-4.
The Dirtbags begin play at UC Riverside this weekend to open up Big West play. UCR began
Schedule Notes: Heading into Tuesday’s action the Dirtbags have nine teams ranked in the top-30 this season and 17 of the 23 opponents this season with RPIs under 100… next Tuesday’s opponent, Loyola Marymount, entered Tuesday’s action with a 16-11 record and No. 21 RPI according to Boyds World.com… LBSU’s RPI is 10…. UC Irvine, who LBSU hosts April 11-13, is ranked as high as No. 4, California, who swept The Beach last week moved up to No. 7, while Wichita State, who LBSU swept, is as high as No. 8…. UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis began the Big West schedule last weekend with perfect weeks (against CS Northridge and Pacific) and are currently a game ahead of UC Irvine and CS Fullerton, who match up this week.
Big West Rankings: First baseman second in walks (17) and doubles (10)… RHP Andrew Liebel, who is slated to go Friday at UC Riverside, is the league leader in innings (47.0), second in strikeouts (46), third in the league in ERA (1.72) and third in opponent average (.209)… LBSU is second in the conference in ERA (2.70) and seventh in batting (.274) and fielding (.956).
