Weaver Is Just Right in 6-2 Victory

During his remarkable run in this college baseball season, Long Beach State pitcher Jered Weaver insists there will be a day when he doesn’t dominate batters.

The junior even wonders what the reaction will be when he actually loses a game. That day will have to wait.

Weaver wasn’t overwhelming Friday night at Cal State Fullerton but, with the 49er lineup supporting him, he was good enough in a 6-2 victory over the Titans before 3,317 people, the third-largest crowd for a regular-season game at Goodwin Field.

Weaver, a junior who some observers believe may be the No. 1 pick in the June draft, improved to 9-0.

He struck out 11 batters over eight innings. He has 100 strikeouts this season, and this was the seventh time he’s reached double figures.

“It was a little tough getting used to the mound here and it took me a little while to do that,” Weaver said. “But I got better as the game went on, which is what I’m supposed to be known to do.”

Fullerton (15-15) put up seven hits, the most by any team against the right-hander this season. The Titans also scored the most runs off him, with two in the third inning.

Justin Turner and Ronnie Prettyman each had base hits to bring up Kurt Suzuki with one out.

Suzuki drilled a 2-0 fastball off the left-field fence to bring in both runners, ending Weaver’s 23-inning scoreless streak. Suzuki, a junior catcher, is hitting .462 lifetime against the 49ers, including a three-run walk-off homer in the Titans’ regular-season finale last season.

“You got to give their batters credit,” Weaver said. “They put up a fight.”

Seventh-ranked Long Beach (19-7) took the lead with a three-run fourth inning. With one out, Jason Vargas singled to right. Mike Hofius moved him to third with a double, which right fielder Sergio Pedroza crashed into the wall trying to catch.

Danny Mocny, who had just one run batted in this season, brought in both with a single.

Travis Udvarhelyi broke the tie with an opposite-field double to score Mocny.

“They got two off Weaver and everybody is all jacked up,” Long Beach Coach Mike Weathers said. “Those three runs were huge for us. They answered for Jered and he answered with goose eggs.”

The 49ers added two more in the fifth on Steve Velazco’s single fly, and another in the sixth on a double by Troy Tulowitzki.

With the run support, Weaver settled down and he retired 13 in a row between the fourth and eighth innings.

“We scored two off him and threw a party,” Fullerton Coach George Horton said.