49ers, Titans Fighting for Big West Supremacy
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The Big West Conference regular-season baseball race goes down to the wire this weekend with Long Beach State clinging to a one-game lead over 1995 College World Series champion Cal State Fullerton and two other teams.
Fullerton (40-8) is the only title contender at home for the final weekend of conference play.
The Titans, who dropped to No. 3 in the national rankings after losing two of three games at Long Beach last weekend, face UC Santa Barbara (30-15) in the only matchup of contenders. The opener of the three-game series is at 7 tonight at Titan Field.
Santa Barbara, Nevada Las Vegas and Fullerton are tied for second at 12-6. Long Beach, which dropped to 30-20 overall with a nonconference loss Tuesday at Fresno State, plays at San Jose State (25-26). UNLV (38-14) goes to New Mexico State (24-25).
The top four teams will be trying to build momentum for the conference’s postseason tournament at Fullerton next weekend. The winner receives an automatic NCAA bid. Seedings are based on the regular-season finish.
Santa Barbara is the only team with a winning Big West record on the road. The Gauchos are 5-4, Fullerton 6-6.
Long Beach is 11-1 in conference games at home, but 2-4 on the road. The 49ers have a schedule advantage over the other three contenders this year with four series at home, three on the road. It has been reversed for the other three top teams.
Santa Barbara enters the weekend with five consecutive conference victories and has won six of its last seven games. The loss came at USC, 13-1. The Gauchos swept San Jose State at home last weekend after winning two of three at New Mexico State.
The Gauchos are hitting .333, which is second in the Big West to Fullerton’s .345, but they are seventhin pitching with a 5.83 earned-run average. Fullerton also leads with a 3.35 ERA. Long Beach is second in pitching at 3.65, but remains last in hitting with a .274 average.
The Titans are coming off a 4-1 victory over 13th-ranked Cal State Northridge on Wednesday.
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