Long Beach State Stays in the Race

To retain any hope of overtaking Cal State Fullerton in the race for the Big West Conference baseball title, Long Beach State had to take care of business Sunday against a tough Cal Poly San Luis Obispo team with a similar goal.

Ace relievers Brian Anderson and Neil Jamison were tough when they needed to be and the 49ers had a couple of questionable calls go their way in a 2-1 victory to take two of three games in a tightly contested series at Blair Field.

Long Beach, 35-17 overall and 13-5 in the Big West, ranked 12th by Baseball America, trails top-ranked Fullerton by 1 1/2 games in the Big West standings but is three behind in the loss column. Long Beach visits the Titans next weekend to end its regular season. Fullerton has three games left at UC Riverside.

“You can’t afford to lose any series, especially at home with Cal Poly and only having Fullerton left,” Jamison said. “We put ourselves in a situation where if we got out there and sweep, we can have a chance at the Big West title.”

The three games were ruled by excellent pitching with both teams combining for only 13 runs. Brandon Godfrey gave the 49ers a one-run lead with his fifth-inning double. Facing a must-win situation, the 49ers pulled starter Jared Hughes and turned to their bullpen stars.

Anderson struck out two in 1 2/3 innings and Jamison got out of tight spots in the eighth and ninth to earn his 11th save. The two have combined to allow two earned runs in 60 2/3 innings.

“I’ve got no problem putting it in their hands for four innings,” Long Beach Coach Mike Weathers said.

Cal Poly (32-18, 10-5) was thoroughly frustrated as it fell three games behind Fullerton. Whether it was a controversial call, a baserunning blunder or a stellar defensive play by Long Beach, the Mustangs failed to push across the tying run in each of the last four innings.

It reached a boiling point in the eighth. Brandon Roberts stole second base and moved to third, but home plate umpire Paul Cohen called Jimmy Van Ostrand out for interfering with 49er catcher Chris Jones’ throw that sailed into center field.

“We played with them all weekend,” Cal Poly Coach Larry Lee said. “The catcher bobbled the ball and had no chance of throwing him out. That’s not a call you make in a situation like that.”