When Dust Settles, 49ers Rout Titans : Baseball: Altercation in fourth inning turns into bench-clearing brawl during Long Beach’s 13-6 victory over Fullerton.

The Cal State Fullerton-Cal State Long Beach baseball game turned on a fourth-inning play at the plate Friday night.

Turned ugly, that is.

The key moments during Long Beach’s 13-6 victory came nearly each time a 49er picked up a bat, as the visitors clubbed five Titan pitchers for 15 hits, took an 11-0 lead and never looked back.

But a scar was left on this game when Long Beach catcher Brian Whatley plowed into Fullerton catcher Bret Hemphill after being picked off and caught in a rundown, precipitating a bench-clearing brawl that delayed the game 15 minutes.

It was a rugged start to the weekend series for Fullerton (26-10, 14-2), ranked second nationally by Collegiate Baseball and third by Baseball America, and Long Beach (23-14, 9-4), 29th in Collegiate Baseball and 24th in Baseball America.

Long Beach, in second place in the Big West Conference, remained within striking distance of Fullerton, which had won 18 of its last 20.

“They kicked our butt,” Fullerton Coach Augie Garrido said. “It was a good, old-fashioned whipping.”

As for the brawl, Garrido wasn’t happy with that either.

“This is not professional (baseball), where they are playing for millions of dollars,” Garrido said. “This is an educational experience. Fighting should not be a part of the experience.”

With Long Beach ahead, 5-0, Whatley, a senior who went to Fullerton for one semester during his freshman year, was on third and Tim Falsken on second with center fielder Cobi Cradle batting. Hemphill threw to Fullerton third baseman Jeff Ferguson, attempting to pick off Whatley. Ferguson chased Whatley three-quarters of the way down the third-base line, flipped to Hemphill, and Whatley, an easy out, bowled over Hemphill.

Fullerton pitcher Mike Parisi immediately shoved Whatley, Hemphill got up and shoved Whatley, and then the dugouts cleared.

Fullerton’s Craig Skyberg, who was on the bench and has only played in seven games this season, was ejected, along with Long Beach’s Whatley, Falsken and reserve Brian Smith.

NCAA rules state that, because it was the first incident of the season for all four players, the four are suspended for today’s game.

As for the game, it was the roughest one of the season for Parisi (7-1), who was battered for eight runs--all earned--and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. He was chased after facing 10 batters in the fourth; the last seven reached base.

“They got to Parisi better than anybody has all year,” Garrido said. “Today belonged to them.”

Mike Fontana and David Goldstein, both juniors from Rancho Santiago College, pitched for Long Beach. Fontana (6-3) gave up eight hits and six runs in 7 1/3 innings for the victory. Goldstein didn’t allow a hit in the final 1 2/3.

Titan Notes

Doctors still have not determined the cause of Kyle Evans’ recent fainting spells. Evans, a Titan outfielder who has been having dizzy spells and respiratory problems since last summer, fainted Thursday in the front yard of his parents’ house and was taken to a hospital. “I’ve been going to see doctors like crazy,” Evans said. “As of now, I’m fine. The doctors said it could be as serious as a seizure disorder or as simple as stress.” Evans, who did not play Friday night, is scheduled to undergo more tests next week . . . The Fullerton-Long Beach series continues with a game at 7 tonight and at 1 Sunday afternoon.