USC
Long Beach State
Long Beach State Wins In Ninth Against USC
March 01, 2011 | Baseball
March 1, 2011
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Johnny Bekakis' pinch-hit RBI single in the bottom of the ninth gave the Long Beach State Dirtbags a 5-4 win over the USC Trojans in front of 778 at Blair Field. Kirk Singer led off the ninth with a walk against USC right-hander Chad Smith (0-2), advancing to second on a wild pitch and scoring when Bekakis hit the single to right field.
Long Beach State and USC have matching 3-5 overall records on the season as Shawn Stuart (1-0) earned the win with 2 1/3 scoreless innings for the Dirtbags.
Senior second baseman Joe De Pinto went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI for the Trojans.
The Trojans opened with two runs in the first. Kevin Roundtree hit a fly ball over the head of left fielder Ino Patron for a double. All-America first baseman Ricky Oropesa then lifted a fly ball down the left field line that Patron misplayed for a two-base error. With runners at second and third, De Pinto laced the two-run double down the third base line. Long Beach State scored its first run in the second when Brennan Fulkerson laid a perfect bunt down the third base line to plate Patron.
Long Beach tied it with a run in the fifth. Singer reached on an error by Trojan left fielder Matt Hart. Royce Murai then hit a line drive off pitcher Ben Mount's glove with Singer scoring as shortstop James Roberts' throw bounced away from Oropesa. RBI doubles by Mike Marjama and pinch-hitter Jonathan Kim gave Long Beach State the 4-2 lead, but the Trojans responded with two in the seventh. Omar Cotto Lozada scored from third on a wild pitch as Roundtree walked. Another wild pitch allowed Roundtree to advance to second and De Pinto singled to right to tie the game.
In the top of the ninth, Cotto Lozada walked to lead off. Stuart came back to retire Roundtree and Oropesa to get out of the inning to set up the eventual winner for the Dirtbags.
USC completes its stretch of seven road games at No. 7 Cal State Fullerton this weekend, Friday-Sunday (March 4-6). Friday and Saturday's games will be played at Cal State Fullerton (7 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively) with Sunday's game played at Dedeaux Field, beginning at 1 p.m. All three games will be broadcast, along with Gametracker live stats, on usctrojans.com with a live video webcast for Sunday's game at USC.
Notes: Ricky Oropesa and Joe De Pinto extended their season-opening hitting streaks to eight games...the Trojans have lost three straight games by one run.
USC 200-000-200---4-7-2LBS 010-012-001---5-10-1
Note: 1 out, 1 runner LOB when the game ended.
WP - Stuart (1-0) LP - Smith (0-2)T - 3:28 ATT - 778Records: USC (3-5), Long Beach State (3-5)
Mount, Mezger (6), Richter (6), Munson (6), Smith (8) and Roundtree.Friedrichs, Strufing (5), Underwood (6), Boyle (7), Donohue (7), Stuart (7) and Murai.
