Softball: The Beach shoots down Buffalo to end five-game slide
The Long Beach State softball team (6-11) used a four-run second inning to push past Buffalo, 6-2, snapping a five-game losing streak Saturday afternoon at the USD Softball Complex.
Junior Brooke Turner (3-3) compiled a season-high nine strikeouts, while allowing two runs on five hits.
The 49ers also had a season-best 10 hits, led by senior Ashley Weber’s 3-for-3 showing at the plate to go with an RBI. Junior Liz Javier added a pair of hits, while freshman Caitrin DeBaun drove in two runs.
LBSU scored four runs on four hits in the bottom of the second, highlighted by DeBaun’s two-run double. Weber also drove in a run with her first hit of the game.
Buffalo (5-6) cut LBSU’s lead in half with two runs in the top of the third, before LBSU responded in the bottom of the inning with a sacrifice fly from Schallig to plate Nalani St. Germain.
The Beach added one more run in the fifth when senior Brandy Reyes doubled home sophomore Alisha Rosen.
LBSU’s 7 p.m. game against No. 5 UCLA at 7 p.m. was cancelled due to rain. There is no word on whether the game will be made up.
Women’s Tennis: Hilt-Costello collects 200th coaching victory
Long Beach State swept UC Davis, 7-0, on Saturday at the Rhodes Tennis Center to give head coach Jenny Hilt-Costello her 200th career win.
The 49ers (8-2) won all six singles matches and three doubles to sweep the Aggies in a Big West Conference match. The two teams started the day at singles instead of doubles matches to quicken the pace of the match in case of rain.
Sarah Cantlay and Julie Luzar took identical 6-0, 6-1 wins at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, respectively. Cantlay defeated Ellie Edles, while Luzar bested Shawdee Rouhafza.
Jaklin Alawi won her first match at No. 1 singles over Desiree Stone 6-2, 6-3.
Deborah Armstrong was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Herzyl Legaspi at No. 3 sinlges, and Rachel Manasse also won in straight sets 6-3, 7-5 over Lauren Curry at No. 4. The final singles match was decided when Anais Dallara went the distance against Dahra Zamudio in a 7-5, 7-5 win.
The Beach also swept the doubles point as Armstrong and Dallara defeated Curry and Noelle Eades, 8-0 at No. 2 doubles. Alawi and Manasse cruised past Zamudio and Edles, 8-3, at No. 1 doubles, while Cantlay and Luzar defeated Rahofza and Legaspi by the same score at No. 3.
LBSU continues its homestand when it hosts Cal State Fullerton on Thursday at 2 p.m.
Track and Field: 49ers wrap up Ben Brown Invitational
Junior Randi Hicks had a record-breaking performance in the women’s javelin to highlight the Long Beach State track and field team’s day at the Ben Brown Invitational in Fullerton on Saturday.
Hicks won the javelin with a toss of 170-11, putting her first on the 49er all-time top 10 list. That mark also broke the Big West Conference record (as of 1999 due to change in javelin specifications). Senior Alex Shaw made it a 1-2 finish for The Beach, recording a distance of 164-01.
Sophomore Rachel Hammar posted lifetime bests and was LBSU’s top finisher in the discus (2nd, 127-07) and shot put (5th, 42-04.25). In the high jump, sophomore Katrina Graves-Johnson was the runner-up, clearing a personal-record 5-07. Sophomore Sara Macey wasn’t far behind in third place (5-05).
Over on the track, freshman Annie Randall took second in the 5000-meter run “B” with a time of 17:29.26. In the same heat, sophomore Alisia Barajas (17:38.52) and senior Jennifer Rodriguez (17:44.81) placed fifth and seventh, respectively.
Sophomore Kristen Kiefer was the 49ers’ top performer in the 100m hurdles, crossing the finish line in 15.23 seconds for a fourth-place finish. Senior Brenda Finney also finished sixth in the 400m hurdles (65.47).
On the men’s side, junior transfer Sam Jeter finished ahead of the pack in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 52.28.
Senior Kenneth Medwood added a fourth-place performance in the 400m dash, clocking in at 48.85 seconds.
Six men’s distance runners competed in three different heats of the 5000m run. Sophomore Matt Maldonado was the 49ers’ top finisher at 14:31.41, while Steven DeCastro posted a lifetime-best 14:49.86.
In the field events, senior Alex Black and junior Kevin Jenkins tied for fourth in the high jump (6-06.75). Junior Rajan Bains finished third in the discus with a distance of 161-02, while freshman Cesar Puga took fifth in the shot put (50-07.50).
The 49ers continue the outdoor season next weekend at the Aztec Invitational (March 12-13).
Men’s Volleyball: LBSU outgunned by first-place Stanford
The 49ers dropped a match on the road at first-place Stanford 30-22, 30-25, 26-30, 30-22 in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation showdown Saturday night.
Dean Bittner finished the match with 24 kills on .405 hitting to lead Long Beach State (9-7, 7-5 MPSF), but he was out-dueled by Stanford’s Spencer McLachlin, who had 21 kills and hit .559.
Jim Baughman and Antwain Aguillard added 13 kills apiece for The Beach, while Aguillard hit .524 on 21 swings. Kirk Francis led the 49er defense with 16 digs, while Tommy Pestolesi added 14 digs. The Beach hit .314 as a team, but allowed the Cardinal to hit at a .412 clip.
Stanford (12-4, 10-4 MPSF) cruised out to the lead wining the first two sets thanks to some efficient offense. The Cardinal committed just one attack error in the first two sets to take control of the match.
LBSU was able to salvage the third set behind a .406 hitting percentage in the frame.
The 49ers resume action Tuesday night when they host Loyola Chicago at 7 p.m.