Baylor
Long Beach State
First-Inning Triple Dooms No. 11 Baseball
2/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 20, 2004
LONG BEACH, Calif. - A three-run, two-out triple off the bat of Troy Tulowitzki in the bottom of the first inning was all Long Beach State ace Jered Weaver needed as the eighth-ranked Dirtbags topped No. 11 Baylor 4-1 here Friday night.
Baylor starter Mark McCormick struck out the first batter he faced in his first outing of the season. However, the sophomore righty walked the next three batters he faced to load the bases. After a Mike Hofius strikeout, Tulowitzki laced a ball down the line in right that was just out of the reach of Baylor right fielder Mike Pankratz.
The Bears, meanwhile, scratched for base runners against Weaver, arguably the nation's top pitcher. Baylor (3-2) got on the board in the fourth with three straight two-out singles, the third off the bat of Zach Dillon that scored Jeff Mandel from second.
But that was all the offense Weaver (3-0) and two Long Beach State (5-2) relievers allowed the Bears. Weaver went 7.0 innings, scattered six hits and issued one walk with 10 strikeouts.
The Dirtbags added an insurance run in the bottom of eighth on a Tulowitzki infield two-out single.
McCormick (0-1) was lifted after 70 pitches in 4.0 innings of work. He was touched for three runs on four hits and four walks with five strikeouts. Ryan LaMotta struck out a career-high six batters in 4.0 innings of relief work. He allowed one run on three hits and no walks.
Pankratz and Dillon led the Bears at the plate with two hits each.
Baylor and Long Beach State play a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. CST, a change from the original schedules. The teams play two Saturday to assure getting three games in as rain is in the forecast for Sunday in the southern California area.
Radio broadcast in the Waco area will begin on 1580 AM due to Baylor's 12:30 p.m. men's basketball game against Missouri (broadcast on 1660 AM). Following the conclusion of the basketball, the baseball broadcast will go to a simulcast including 1660 AM.
