March 18, 2004

Box Score

LONG BEACH, Calif.- All-America candidate Jered Weaver gave up just three hits over seven innings as No. 10-ranked Long Beach State shut out No. 17 Arizona, 4-0, on Blair Field on Thursday. The loss dropped the Wildcats to 11-8-1 for the year while LBSU moved to 14-5 with the win.

Weaver (7-0), who struck out three and walked one, picked off two of Arizona's six base runners in the game and worked out of second and third jam in the fifth to record his seventh win of the year. The right-hander also benefited from the cold, damp night at Blair that ate up a pair well hit balls to left field by senior Moises Duran and Jason Donald in the sixth.

The 49er offense gave Weaver and reliever Brian Anderson all the run support they needed on a RBI single by Troy Tuwlowitzki in the bottom of the first that scored Travis Udvarhelyi from third. Anderson worked a perfect final two innings to close out the win.

LBSU added single runs in the second, fourth and fifth off of UA starter Koley Kolberg (2-2), who was charged with his second loss of the year despite working his second complete game of the season. Kolberg gave up the four runs on 12 hits over eight innings, he struck out five and walked two.

Sophomore Brad Boyer led off the game with a single to right, but was picked off base before the Wildcats offense had a chance to get another at bat.

Freshman Bill Rhinehart shared a similar fate at second after singling with two out in the top of the fourth and advancing on a fielding error by the left fielder.

The Wildcats squandered their best scoring opportunity in the top of the sixth after Jordan Brown and Richard Mercado had reached second and third with two out. Weaver dodge the bullet by getting shortstop John Hardy to fly out to third to end the threat.

Arizona and Long Beach will play the second game of the three-game set at 6:30 pm PT on Friday. UA's Luis Cortez (2-1) will square off against LBSU's Cesar Ramos (3-1) on the mound.