THE COLLEGES : Long Beach State Fizzles After Its Fast Start Against Nevada : Big West baseball: 49ers score six in the first, but can’t hold lead as Wolf Pack wins opening-round game, 13-8.

That fast, fierce first-inning statement by Long Beach State was eye-opening, but it might have done more harm than good. Though the many hits and runs were artistically pleasing and seemingly confidence-building, more was needed later and Long Beach had little left.

Nevada paced itself and rallied for an impressive 13-8 victory Friday night in the opening round of the four-team, double-elimination Big West Conference tournament at Blair Field. Long Beach and Nevada Las Vegas play at 11:05 a.m. today in the losers’ bracket.

“I’ve always felt we had enough pitching to come out of the losers’ bracket,” said 49er Coach Dave Snow, who will start staff ace Scott Rivette (8-4, 2.80 earned-run average).

Nevada and top-ranked Cal State Fullerton play in the winners’ bracket game at 3:05 p.m. Combined attendance for the two games Friday was 2,285.

As pleased as the second-seeded 49ers (32-20-1) are to be playing host to the tournament, this opening-round performance wasn’t what they had in mind. How disappointing was it?

Well, when the host team begins a tournament having won 11 consecutive games, takes a 6-0 lead in the first inning and chases the opponent’s top starter, one might assume the outcome, if not decided, is at least progressing nicely to that end.

But logic and reality don’t always coincide for the 49ers.

Long Beach sent 10 batters to the plate in the first. Wolf Pack starter Josh Bendik pitched only two-thirds of an inning, giving up six runs on five hits. Jason Minici drove in two of those runs with a single.

Bendik was also quite wild. He had no command of his breaking pitches and hit Kirk Pierce.

However, third-seeded Nevada (35-16) withstood Long Beach’s early knockout attempt. Moreover, the Wolf Pack immediately responded with a counter that overpowered the 49ers.

The Wolf Pack topped the 49ers’ best effort by having 11 men bat in the second and scoring eight runs. Justin Drizos (Woodbridge High/Saddleback College) and Shane Slayton played the biggest roles.

Drizos drove in three runs with a bases-loaded double. Slayton hit a two-run homer in his second at-bat of the inning against 49er starter Kyle Wilson (10-3).

Second in the 49ers’ rotation, Wilson has consistently provided quality starts. In probably his worst performance this season, Wilson gave up 12 runs--11 earned--on 13 hits in 6 1/3. He walked two and struck out five.

Nevada had 15 hits and was strong in the field, turning double plays to end the eighth and the game. Long Beach had 12 hits and cut into Nevada’s lead with runs in the seventh and eighth, but any serious threat ended when Tim Falsken hit into that eighth-inning double play with the bases loaded.