Long Beach State Goes Cold Against Southwest Missouri

First, let’s review a couple of things.

Long Beach State did win the Big West Conference regular-season championship and is seeded second in the NCAA Central I Baseball Regional.

So what did those guys wearing 49er uniforms Thursday do with the real players?

Even Coach Dave Snow had trouble recognizing the mistake-prone group that stumbled face first into a worst-case scenario with a 5-3 opening-round loss to Southwest Missouri State at Disch-Falk Field. Long Beach must defeat top-seeded--and equally desperate--Miami today or be eliminated from the regional.

“Quite frankly, this was a game we did not deserve to win,” Snow said. “We made some mistakes defensively and we just never seemed to get in sync. But at the same time, Jarrod threw a hell of a ball game.”

That would be Bear starter Jarrod Mays, and Snow’s assessment is correct.

The junior right-hander played almost as big a part in the 49ers’ troubles as they did, withstanding mind-numbing heat to pitch the fifth-seeded Bears to victory. He gave up five hits, two earned runs and struck out six while the scoreboard thermometer read just under 100 for much of the game. Moreover, Mays didn’t walk a batter and his control seemed to increase as his perspiration did.

“He got better as the game went on,” said first baseman Jeff Tagliaferri, who had two of the 49ers’ five hits. “He really kept the ball down, especially late in the game.”

Quite a show, especially for someone who began the game 3-7 with a 6.53 earned-run average.

“Obviously, it’s extremely difficult to go the distance in heat like that,” said Bear Coach Keith Guttin, whose team improved to 31-23 and won its first tournament game in three appearances.

“Jarrod wanted it, and he obviously wanted it very badly. I think he had it one through nine, and it’s a credit to his stuff and his conditioning.”

Long Beach cut the lead to 4-3 in the bottom of seventh when Keith Cowley opened the inning with a 330-foot homer to right, his eighth of the season. But Mays retired the next nine batters in order.

Long Beach (34-25) and Miami (43-13) play at 9 a.m. today with the loser leaving Austin. As of Thursday night, Snow said he had not decided on a starting pitcher, but an educated guess says he’s likely to pick Marcus Jones (Esperanza High). The sophomore right-hander is the Big West’s pitcher of the year, and Long Beach won’t have a tomorrow without a victory today.

If Long Beach plans to stick around, it better do a better job all around.

The 49ers committed almost as many errors (four) as they had hits. Their relief pitching faltered and timely hitting was rare.

Southwest Missouri went ahead, 4-2, in the top of the sixth on three consecutive two-out singles off reliever Steve Hueston (6-4). Mike Bays and Micah Holst each had RBI singles.

Brad Kennedy provided some insurance in the ninth, hitting his 14th home run. The 380-foot homer to right gave Southwest Missouri a 5-3 lead and closed the scoring.

The sixth-inning clutch hitting was out of character for the Bears, who had nothing to show for loading the bases in the fifth and seventh. But with the 49ers’ help, the opportunities kept coming and even the Bears eventually couldn’t stop themselves.

Long Beach starter Iran Barrera narrowly avoided big problems in the fifth. The bases were loaded thanks to an error by shortstop Jason Knupfer, a hit batter and a walk. Barrera appeared to be tiring--and with good reason.

The temperature had hovered in the high 90s since the opening pitch, and Barrera was suffering. He couldn’t find the plate, turning up the heat on himself even more.

But Tagliaferri bailed him out. Kennedy hit a liner toward Tagliaferri that was caught. Then Tagliaferri beat a stunned Lance Burkhart to the bag at first for the inning-ending double play.

“We got lucky,” Snow said.

Long Beach got out of the jam without giving up any runs, but Snow had still seen enough. The inning was Barrera’s last, although Snow got what he wanted from his No. 4 starter. Barrera gave Long Beach a quality start, allowing two earned runs in five innings and leaving with the score tied.

“That was a good, strong outing,” Snow said. “He put the club in a position to win.”

But Hueston, normally the 49ers’ No. 3 starter, was roughed up. He gave up three hits, three walks--and the go-ahead runs in the sixth--in 1 2/3 innings.

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Central I Regional

Thursday’s Results

* Sam Houston State 5, Miami 4

* Southwest Missouri State 5, Long Beach State 3

* UCLA 5, Texas 2

Today’s Games

* Miami (43-13) vs. Long Beach State (34-25), 9 a.m.

* Sam Houston State (31-27) vs. Texas (38-23), 1 p.m.

* Southwest Missouri State (31-23) vs. UCLA (34-26), 5 p.m.