LONG BEACH “”mdash; With one swing of Cody Decker’s aluminum bat, the Bruins dispelled a myth and took their first step toward Omaha.
There was some trepidation among the Bruin players and coaches going into this weekend’s regional that the expansive confines of Long Beach State’s Blair Field would make it difficult for the team to score runs. But with sophomore Decker’s three-run first-inning home run, he set the tone for the hit parade that was to follow as the Bruins beat Pepperdine 7-3 in the first game of the Long Beach Regional.
“It was two great pitchers going at each other and what everyone expected,” coach John Savage said. “Decker had the big three-run homer in the first that kind of separated the score a little bit. Then it was all about Tyson (Brummett). He went out there and competed and gave us a chance to win. It was a good way to start the tournament.”
The Bruins got off to a running start, scoring three runs in the first inning off Decker’s bomb to the left. With one out and two on, Decker stepped up to the plate and hit a moon shot over the left-field wall.
“He started me off with a slider and he threw it again a little bit later and I was just looking to see the ball deep,” Decker said. “I was able to turn on it and hit it out.”
Bruin starter Tyson Brummett (10-5) returned to his usually sharp form and turned in one of his best starts in recent weeks. The senior allowed three runs off nine hits in 8.2 innings of work.
Brummett cruised through the first eight innings, but in the ninth he ran into some trouble. After a two-run home run that cut the lead to four and a series of infield singles by the Waves that left the bases loaded, Brummett was pulled in favor of sophomore Tim Murphy, who recorded the final out.
“You always want to finish the game and all of what you started,” Brummett said. “I felt like I had the endurance and I do not think that the pitch count was up to high. That last inning they got to me a bit, but I was able to hand it off to Murphy and get the win.”
Friday’s win over Pepperdine marked the Bruins’ third win of the season over the Waves. The Bruins beat the Waves 6-2 at Jackie Robinson Stadium on April 17 and 4-1 on May 8 at Pepperdine.
The Bruins hope that their fortunes this year change from last year. In last year’s regional, the Bruins won the first game against the Anteaters 3-2 before falling to Pepperdine 6-0 and Missouri 2-1.
“We just have to play as a team and go about it as a team,” Savage said. “It is a very difficult regional but you can build momentum in baseball today with a win. But it is just one of one. You have not won the tournament so you cannot celebrate too much now. We have to look at this game and then bear down on the other two teams and get after it (Saturday) night.”
The Bruins will play the winner of Long Beach State and Illinois-Chicago on Saturday at 7 p.m.