Long Beach Does Little Right in Loss

Most who watched Tuesday night would probably disagree, but Long Beach State must have done something right against USC.

Maybe it was the . . . OK, well what about the . . . On second thought, never mind, because the Trojans’ 10-3 nonconference victory really didn’t reflect well on Long Beach, and many in the crowd of 1,112 at Blair Field didn’t stick around until the end.

There were some nice individual performances, mind you, but not nearly enough to compensate for the problems.

USC (27-15)--ranked 10th in the nation by Baseball America--capitalized on the 49ers’ shaky relief pitching, scoring three runs in the seventh and four in the ninth.

Designated hitter Paul Cruz was four for four with two runs batted in and outfielder Jacque Jones was three for five with two doubles, two runs scored and one RBI. The Trojans won their sixth in a row, matching their longest streak of the season. Jack Krawczyk (1-0) relieved starter Brian Ponchak in the sixth inning and earned his first college victory.

Long Beach (19-16-1) has lost three in a row, five of six and has problems in the pen. Coach Dave Snow used five pitchers against USC.

Steve Hueston giving up only two runs in 4 1/3 innings could be construed as a positive, but the guys who followed didn’t exactly inspire confidence.

After squandering a comfortable lead, the Trojans regained control in the seventh with three runs to take a 6-3 lead. Loser Justin Siegel (0-3) didn’t help himself by hitting two batters in the inning and Alex Sanchez also hit a batter upon replacing Siegel with one out.

Trailing, 3-0, entering the sixth and showing little on offense, the 49ers tied the score by getting three hits--matching their total in the previous five innings. The biggest hit was Jason Minici’s sixth home run of the season.

Ponchak walked Jeff Liefer to open the inning and Jason Hodges singled. Trojan Coach Mike Gillespie replaced Ponchak with Krawczyk, and Liefer scored on a groundout by Jeff Tagliaferri. Minici’s home run to left field traveled about 400 feet and also drove in Hodges.

An inning before, the 49ers were denied a run on a sensational play by Greg Walbridge, the Trojans’ first baseman. Casey Snow doubled with one out in the inning and took third on a groundout by Jose Montenegro. Tim Falsken hit a shot down the first-base line, but Walbridge fielded the ball smoothly to prevent a run.

Geoff Jenkins gave the Trojans a 3-0 lead in the sixth inning with a home run to center field. Jenkins’ 12th home run, tops in the Pacific 10 Conference, sailed directly over the 400-foot sign and the glove of center fielder Tim Hariston.

USC opened the scoring in the fourth when Walbridge drove in Jones from third with a groundout to second. Jones doubled with one out in the inning and went to third on a balk by Hueston. The balk was crucial because Hueston then struck out Derek Baker to end the inning.

The Trojans scored again in the fifth without benefit of a hit. Hueston walked Ernie Diaz to lead off the inning and later scored on Cruz’s sacrifice fly to center.