Tokarse Helps Titans Even Series

Long Beach State’s Marcus Jones, the Big West Conference pitcher of the year last season, was no match for Cal State Fullerton’s Brian Tokarse Saturday night.

Tokarse held Long Beach State to five hits and one run, striking out 12 in seven innings as the Titans defeated the 49ers, 9-1, at Blair Field. The third game of the series, which is even, starts at 1 p.m. today.

Jones was only a shadow of the pitcher he was most of last season. The Titans ripped him for six runs in the first four innings, four on two-run homers by Scott Seal and Pete Fukuhara. A year ago, Jones (2-3) gave up only four home runs for the season.

Tokarse (4-0) picked up his third consecutive victory since moving into the starting rotation. Tokarse had given up only nine hits and three runs in earlier victories over Fresno State and San Diego. He has a 1.57 earned-run average since becoming a starter.

“I’m really pleased with the consistency we’ve been getting on the mound lately, and Tokarse has definitely been a bright spot for us,” Titan Coach George Horton said.

The Titans (13-9) gave him a lot of offensive help with 11 hits. They got to Jones for three runs in the first and kept rolling.

Steve Chatham doubled to the wall to lead off the game, and scored from third when Jerome Alviso beat out a high chopper to first. Seal rocked Jones with his fourth homer of the season. He had three RBIs for the game.

The Titans added another run in the second. C.J. Ankrum opened the inning with a single, stole second and went to third on one of four Long Beach errors. He scored when Fukuhara reached first on a throwing error.

Jones gave up a two-run homer to Fukuhara in the fourth after a leadoff single by Ankrum and was replaced by Daryl Grant for the start of the fifth. The Titans added two runs in the fifth with Aaron Rowand’s double the big hit.

“I was pleased with the way Tokarse was solid in the early innings, even though he had to sit for 20 minutes after the first and 15 more minutes in the second,” Titan pitching coach Dave Serrano said. “This was really a big game for him, and he was a little nervous. He said it took him three innings to get over that. He can be nervous all the time if he pitches like that.”

Long Beach scored its only run off Tokarse in the seventh. Mike Greenlee came on in relief in the eighth, and Tim Baron held the 49ers hitless in the ninth.

In Golden State Athletic conference baseball:

Azusa Pacific 8-11, Southern California College 10-4 (7 inn.)--In the first game of the doubleheader, Kevin Moore and Schrieber were both three for four with three RBIs to lead SCC (14-7, 7-3).

In the Southern California Golf Championships:

UC Irvine finishes second--The Anteaters shot a second-round 297, and totaled 599 in the two rounds, one shot behind UC Davis and six shots ahead of San Diego State’s “B” team. Mike Lawrence shot a 145 to lead Irvine, teammate Andrew Wen shot a 148.