BASEBALL / COLLEGE WORLD SERIES : 49ers Keep Wrong Streak Alive, Lose Opener to Louisiana State

Cal State Long Beach entered the College World Series with several notable streaks.

The 49ers had won 15 consecutive games, including four in the East Regional. Sophomore right-hander Daniel Choi had won 14 games in a row and was the winningest pitcher in college baseball.

Both streaks ended Friday night when Long Beach lost to Louisiana State, 7-1, before a record crowd of 16,963 at Rosenblatt Stadium.

One Long Beach streak, however, did remain alive.

For the third time in as many College World Series appearances, the 49ers lost their opener.

Fourth-seeded Long Beach (43-18) will play eighth-seeded Kansas (45-17), a 5-1 loser Friday to top-seeded Texas A&M;, in an elimination game Sunday.

“We never really could get untracked,” Long Beach Coach Dave Snow said. “We have some serious regrouping to do.”

That has become a hauntingly familiar refrain for Long Beach, which has only one victory in six World Series games.

LSU senior left-hander Mike Sirotka (11-5) pitched a three-hitter, struck out nine and did not walk a batter. Outfielder Jim Greely hit two of the Tigers’ three home runs, including a three-run shot against Choi during the seventh inning that gave LSU a 3-1 lead and started the Tigers on their way.

“After that, it fell apart,” said Choi, who gave up five runs and five hits in 7 1/3 innings. “I just couldn’t get it back together.”

Choi (16-2), who had not given up more than four runs all season, struck out three and issued four walks, two of which proved particularly costly.

In the seventh, Choi surrendered a two-out double to Mike Neal, then walked Adrian Antonini before Greely hit a 1-1 slider over the left-field wall.

“Our coaches always talk about timely hitting,” Greely said. “I was thinking, ‘This isn’t the time to pop up.”’

In the eighth, Choi issued a one-out walk to Armando Rios, and Russ Johnson followed with a shot into the left-field seats, ending Choi’s night.

LSU (50-16-1), the 1991 national champion, added two runs during the ninth when Greely homered to left against David Goldstein. It was the first homer given up by Goldstein in 63 1/3 innings this season.

“That’s us,” said LSU Coach Skip Bertman, whose team has hit 82 homers in 77 games. “We have to hit home runs.”

Sirotka and Choi both had shutouts through five innings before Long Beach took a 1-0 lead with an unearned run during the sixth.

Brian Whatley led off with a double. Tim Falsken, the next batter, bunted. Sirotka fielded the ball and bounced a throw past third baseman Jason Williams, allowing Whatley to score.

That was all Long Beach could muster against Sirotka, who allowed only one hit over the last three innings.

“I was throwing three pitches for strikes with outstanding location,” said Sirotka, who won two games during the South Regional and beat Fresno State during the 1991 World Series. “I used my curve to get a lot of guys out.”

Long Beach now faces the difficult task of fighting its way out of the loser’s bracket. Cal State Fullerton did it last season before losing to Pepperdine in the championship game. No team, however, has won the national championship after losing its first game under the current format, which was instituted in 1988.

“I believe in these guys, but right now we are hurt,” Snow said. “It’s a question of getting it together as a ballclub.”

Texas A&M; beat Kansas behind junior left-hander Jeff Granger, the fifth pick overall by the Kansas City Royals in the amateur draft.

Granger (15-3), pitching in the stadium that is home to the Royals’ triple-A affiliate, gave up one run and five hits in eight innings. He struck out seven.

College World Series Notes

Second-seeded Arizona State plays seventh-seeded Wichita State today at 10:06 in a game that will be televised nationally by CBS. Third-seeded Texas plays sixth-seeded Oklahoma State.