Long Beach State @ Oregon (Ducks sweep series 3-0)

[UOducksTK1]

Game 1: W 5-4
Game 2: W 3-2 (12)
Game 3:W 8-7

[cordy02c]

Long Beach beat cal 2 out of 3 last weekend so this series is no cupcake their strength is pitching. Not a great offensive team

[oregontrack]

long beach state (4-4) @ oregon (7-1)

rhp shawn stewart (1-0, 4.22) vs. rhp alex keudell (1-1, 1.64)
rhp matt anderson (0-0, 1.59) vs. jake reed (1-0, 2.25)
lhp ryan strufing (2-0, 1.84) vs. brando tessar (2-0, 3.86)

cordy is absolutely right, it's all about pitching (thus far) with the dirtbags. before last night's game with ucla, using a pitcher we won't see this weekend, they had a 2.35 team era. after two starts each, both the saturday and sunday guys for long beach have lower eras and have pitched more innings than their appointed ace, shawn stewart.

they've won both series they've played, taking 2 of 3 from vcu and cal; they've lost both midweek games they've played, to usc and ucla. this is their first road series; ucla was their first road game of 2012.

their projected lineup, according to their release, w/ avg., hr, rbi., and a small note on each player:

C-Royce Murai .231 0 5 Leads Long Beach State with 5 RBI
1B-Ino Patron .250 0 2 Six hits third on the team
2B-Jeff McNeil .208 0 1 Batted leadoff in all four games to start 2012
3B-Michael Hill .250 0 0 Tripled Saturday against Cal
SS-Matt Duffy .130 0 0 Led 2011 Dirtbags with 31 RBI
LF-Richard Prigatano .053 0 1 Had hit, RBI on Friday after slow start
CF-Brennan Metzger .350 0 2 OBP% of .519
RF-Juan Avila .400 0 2 Slugging .480 in 2012
DH-Robert Vickers .200 0 0 Hit a triple against VCU

not a ton of production so far. but, long beach has a long and storied history and always has good talent; and we're only two weeks in, of course, so stats can always be misleading.

last year, @ long beach, we won 5-0 behind a tyler anderson 8-inning masterpiece; blew a madison boer gem in game two when scott mcgough gave up 5 runs in the 9th, and we eventually lost in 12; and we lost 4-1 in the finale, against shawn stewart, who we will see friday.

[Coastal Duck]

The Dirtbags will be making the "balmy" to "frigid" transition this weekend. I erred last week in calling Nashville "frigid" - there was a snow storm that wrecked the northern part of Tennessee the week before so . . ..

"Let there be moisture!" (Not enough to cancel the series, however, lol.)

[oregontrack]

3-0 dirtbags, top 2

four straight hits to lead off the game for lbs. ducks go 1-2-3 in our half of the 1st.

[cordy02c]

ducks leave bases loaded after pitcher walks 3 batters 3-0 dirtbags top of 3

[oregontrack]

3-0 bot 4

chase with a 2B, healy takes 3B. no outs.

[cordy02c]

healy strikes out but reaches on wild pitch and chase then doubles 2nd and 3rd no out 3-0 dirtbags bottom of 4

[oregontrack]

heineman hbp, bases juiced. no outs. thomas ab.

[cordy02c]

heineman hit by pitch

[oregontrack]

fielder's choice, healy out at the plate. 1 out.

[duckfan96]

A hit would be nice

[duckfan96]

or a walk

[oregontrack]

3-2 dirtbags, bot 4

hambright has two hits this season, both of them 2-rbi doubles. kid knows how to pick his spots.

[duckfan96]

2 run double...very nice