LONG BEACH — Adrian Lopez hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift Long Beach State to a 9-6 victory over rival Cal State Fullerton on Sunday afternoon, completing a sweep of the three-game Big West Conference series at Blair Field. It is the first time since 2017 that the Dirtbags have swept the Titans at home.
Down 1-and-2 in the count in the bottom of the eighth, LBSU’s Armando Briseno singled to right. Ty Borgogno ran for Briseno, then Kyle Ashworth beat out a bunt attempt for his fourth hit of the game as Briseno advanced to second, setting the stage for Lopez’s home run.
Grant Cherry, the fourth Long Beach pitcher of the game, threw 2⅔ innings of relief, striking out six. He was relieved by lefty Nick Williams with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to face Fullerton left-handed hitter Colby Wallace. Wallace was pulled in favor of right-handed Nico Regino, and Williams hit Regino with a 2-and-2 breaking ball. Pinch-hitter Max Ortega then grounded back to Williams to end the game.
The teams played a back-and-forth game in front of 3,246 fans, the second-largest in program history at Blair Field (the school record is 3,342 on Feb. 21, 2009, against USC). The three-game series drew 8,948, breaking the program record for a regular-season series. The previous regular-season mark was 8,035 for an April, 1996 series against Fullerton.
Ashworth finished 4 for 4 with a walk, two RBIs and three runs scored for LBSU (13-8-1 overall, 3-3 Big West). Lopez was 2 for 5 with his three-run homer. Alex Champagne was 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Seven players had one hit each for the Titans (8-14, 1-5 Big West). Tyler Holley hit a two-run homer and scored twice for Fullerton, while Eli Lopez also drove in two runs.
Ashworth led off the bottom of the first with a single up the middle, reached second on an error then scored on a fielder’s choice.
Fullerton got on the scoreboard with three runs in the top of the second inning. Long Beach State starter CJ Hood hit Waldie Perez with the bases loaded to tie the score, then Lopez singled up the middle to drive in two runs.
LBSU tied the score in the bottom of the second when Ashworth ripped a two-run double to right. With two outs, Connor Charpiot’s infield single allowed Ashworth to score from second for a 4-3 lead.
Fullerton regained the lead in the top of the third. Josh Donegan relieved Hood and retired his first two batters before Draven Nushida singled through the left side. Nushida advanced to second on a wild pitch, then Holley ripped a two-run homer to left – his first hit of the season in 16 at-bats – to give Fullerton a 5-4 lead.
Cole Santander doubled down the left field line to begin the bottom of the third for the Dirtbags. Champagne’s single to right center advanced Santander to third, then Nick Marinconz’s drive to center was deep enough for Santander to tag up and tie the score at 5-5.
Matthew Bardowell began the top of the fifth with a single to right, then advanced to second on a ground out. Alijah Ramos singled up the middle to score Bardowell for a 6-5 Fullerton lead.
Long Beach tied the score again in the seventh. Fullerton pitcher Jason Krakowski hit John Newman Jr. with a 1-and-2 pitch to begin the inning, then took second on a sacrifice bunt and advanced to third on Santander’s fly ball to right. Champagne then singled through the right side to score Newman for a 6-6 tie, setting the stage for the eighth-inning drama.