Long Beach Survives Wolf Pack : Big West baseball: The 49ers beat Nevada, 2-0, thanks to pitcher Biddle. They beat UNLV earlier in the day, 5-3.

Watching young talent develop can be quite a fun thing, unless you have to face a developing youngster intent on ending your title hopes. Factor in that the kid has been on top of his game lately and there is a definite down side.

So while Nevada might be impressed with the progress Rocky Biddle, Nevada doesn’t have to be happy too. Biddle, a Long Beach State freshman right-hander, was outstanding Saturday in defeating Nevada, 2-0, and helping Long Beach advance to the championship round of the inaugural Big West Conference tournament in front of 920 at Blair Field.

Biddle (5-1) gave up only four hits and struck out 14 in 8 1/2 innings, before giving way to closer Gabe Gonzalez, who earned his 17th save when he got Andy Dominique to fly out to center to end the game.

Second-seeded Long Beach (34-20-1) plays top-ranked and top-seeded Cal State Fullerton (48-9) at 1:05 p.m. today at Blair Field. Fullerton will win the championship with a victory. However, a Long Beach victory would force another game at 5:05 p.m. today to decide the championship.

Biddle has been magnificent in his last three starts. Chosen Big West pitcher of the week the last two weeks, he has not given up an earned run in 25 2/3 innings.

He has struck out 14 in each of his last three starts. What’s more, Biddle has given up only 10 hits and two runs in his last 26 2/3 innings.

Biddle was sharp from the outset, striking out 10 of the first 15 batters he faced in five innings. He struck out the side in the second and fourth innings. Biddle caused fits for former Brea Olinda High standout Chris Briones, striking him out three times.

On those few occasions Biddle allowed his teammates to play defense, they didn’t let him down. The 49ers turned three double plays, each started by shortstop Jason Knupfer, who also committed the 49ers’ only error. Catcher Kirk Pierce threw out two runners.

The Wolf Pack wasn’t exactly pitching-poor either.

Nevada reliever Matt Wells shut down Long Beach after entering in the fifth. Wells pitched out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the fifth and struck out five of the first seven batters he faced, including the side in the sixth. He finished with six strikeouts and gave up two hits.

Long Beach took the lead on Kirk Pierce’s two-run homer to left-center in the fourth inning. Pierce’s seventh homer came on an 0-2 pitch from Wolf Pack starter Sean Leslie (5-5) and also drove in Jeff Liefer, whom Leslie walked.

In the next inning, the 49ers failed to capitalize on one of those opportunities that comes along not nearly enough for teams fighting to stay alive. Leslie walked Jeff Tagliaferri to open the fifth and then gave up consecutive singles to Knupfer and Nic Frank, which loaded the bases with no one out and sent Leslie to the Wolf Pack dugout.

Matt Wells came on in relief and faced leadoff hitter Will Skett--the 49ers’ leader with a .363 average at the game’s start. But Skett was called out on three pitches.

Tim Falsken flew out to right-fielder Dominique, who has one of the better arms in the conference. That forced Tagliaferri to stay put. Wells then got the power-hitting Liefer to look at strike three, sending Long Beach back to the field with an empty feeling.

Earlier Saturday, staff ace Scott Rivette helped prolong the 49ers’ tournament appearance with a strong performance in the first elimination game. Rivette, an All-American right-hander, gave up five hits and three earned runs in Long Beach’s 5-3 victory over UNLV, and outfielder Jason Minici provided the big hit with three-run homer in the second inning.

Rivette (9-4) struck out 11 and walked three. Gonzalez relieved Rivette in the ninth and struck out Scott Vincent to end the game and earn his 16th save.