Game five of the NCAA Regionals at Blair Field got underway one minute late at 1:01pm on Sunday, and by 1:02 the Dirtbags were in a hole they couldn’t climb out of, eventually losing to the University of San Diego by a score of 5-1.  Torero lefty Ricardo Pecina was once again too much for the ‘Bags to handle, going seven innings, allowing just six hits and one run.

The damage came early in the first after an error at first sent the leadoff batter to second, and then a single brought the run home. The Dirtbags didn’t answer until the third inning, already down 2-0, when they scored their lone run off Jonathan Jones’ triple with two runners on.  There was a controversial call at home when a second runner, Jordan Casas, was called out on a tag that could have gone either way.  The ‘Bags threatened a few more times but couldn’t get another man across the plate.

In the bottom of the seventh, still in a one-run ball game, they had men on first and third with two outs, and Jason Tweedy at the plate.  The crowd was the loudest it had been all weekend, with those in black and gold and those in sky blue all thinking about the announcer’s words that had started the day: “This is an elimination game.”

Pecina threw his last three pitches of the game, and Tweedy took his last swings as a Dirtbag; he struck out, and the game was essentially over.  The ‘Bags went three up and three down in the eighth and ninth.  The Toreros put it away in the top of the ninth with a three run effort.  The scoring play came with two outs, after a Top-10 worthy Danny Espinosa barehanded throw to first.

The win advances San Diego to the school’s first regional final, and ends the Dirtbags’ season on a sour note.  As Coach Mike Weathers said after the game, “Unless you’re giving this press conference after the last game played in Omaha, everybody’s gonna be unhappy.”  An emotional Vance Worley agreed with his coach, saying, “We’re all hurting right now.”  Worley had a solid starting performance, throwing 97 pitches in seven innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out four.

Toreros head coach Rich Hill gave credit to the ‘Bags and to Weathers, telling reporters that Long Beach State was as well coached as any other team in the nation.  The Dirtbags finish the season with a record of 38-21, and will be losing as many as eleven players to graduation and the MLB draft.  “This is a special group of juniors and seniors,” said Weathers.  “This year we’re losing a lot.”