Flores Stifles Long Beach State as Titans Cruise in Opener

Long Beach State saw a different Benny Flores Friday night.

The last time Flores pitched against Long Beach he was suffering from the flu, but the 49ers had their hands full with Flores healthy.

Flores picked up his 10th victory of the season without a loss and helped Cal State Fullerton coast to an 11-4 victory in front of 1,868 at Long Beach’s Blair Field in the opener of a three-game Big West Conference series.

Fullerton’s eighth consecutive victory gave the Titans (34-12, 18-4) a one-game lead over the 49ers (27-16, 17-5) in the South Division. The teams play again at 7 tonight and at 1 Sunday.

Flores held the conference’s top hitting team to eight hits and one earned run in pitching his fifth complete game of the season.

“Flores was outstanding,” Titan Coach George Horton said. “If we play defense behind him it’s an 11-1 game.”

Fullerton made four errors, but the Titans gave Flores strong support on offense. Outfielder Reed Johnson had three hits, drove in three runs and scored three times.

“Look at that run support,” Flores said. “It so easy to pitch with that kind of support. That’s a credit to our hitters, and they got me runs early.”

Long Beach Coach Dave Snow was impressed with Flores. “He made it tough for us to put anything together,” Snow said.

The Titans lashed out 17 hits and took a 4-0 lead on Long Beach starter Caleb Balbuena after three innings.

In the first, Johnson led off with a single, advanced to third on consecutive infield outs and scored on Kevin Duck’s double. The Titans added another run in the second when Ryan Owens singled, stole second with two out and came in on David Bacani’s single up the middle.

Aaron Rowand led off the third with his team-leading 12th home home run of the season. The Titans scored another run when Duck walked, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Pete Fukuhara’s single.

Balbuena cost himself another run in the fourth. Balbuena threw wildly to first on Reed Johnson’s ground ball back to the mound, then gave him third on a balk. Greg Jacobs’ sacrifice fly scored Johnson, and Balbuena was gone before the inning ended after giving up five runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.

The 49ers scored three runs off Flores in the fifth, but he should have been out of the inning with only one run. Bacani let a slow bouncer that should have been the third out roll through his legs at second base, scoring the second run. Another came home afterward on Jason Berni’s RBI double.

The Titans didn’t allow Long Beach to get any closer. They came back for four runs in the sixth. Johnson singled in one run, two more scored on sacrifice fly balls by Rowand and Duck, and the fourth came in on Fukuhara’s hit.