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It’s not everyday that you see a team holding a five-run lead while being outhit 3-2 in the first inning. But on Tuesday night at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field the Dirtbags were that team.
Long Beach State batted around in the first inning against visiting San Diego State, using four walks and three hit-by-pitches in an empathetic seven run first inning en route to the win, 12-5.
“It’s a part of what we’ve been stressing to our offense as a whole,” said Dirtbags coach Bryan Peters. “There was a stretch two or three weeks ago when we were easy outs, didn’t have any plate discipline, and we weren’t making the pitchers work at all. It’s good for us to be able to see the fruits of our labor, being able to have better plate discipline, make better swing decisions, be tougher outs, make the guys work and put up tougher fights. It wasn’t necessarily smash, smash, smash, but it was good quality at bats, taking walks, getting hit by pitches, and scoring some runs in bunches and I think it was a bunch of good quality at bats wrapped up together which is good for us.”
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After giving up two in the top of the first, the Dirtbags started a rally of their own with two consecutive walks and a HBP to load the bases. LBSU then scored three runs with an RBI single from Jack Hammond alongside RBI’s from Armando Briseno and Nick Marinconz, before a huge two-RBI double from Justin Roulston. LBSU added another run off an HBP to conclude their seven run first inning.
Coming into the game Roulston had been in the mix at left field with trouble seeing the field in his sophomore season, but came up big delivering his two-RBI double in the first to give LBSU their first and final lead. He had totaled just four RBI coming into Tuesday, and said it was nice to come up big for the Bags’ and contribute to a huge opening inning.
“It’s been a little struggle coming into the lineup getting some at-bats off the bench and I know I haven’t been getting the results that I wanted,” he said. “But I just kept on working my swing out and I knew that big swing was gonna come eventually. I just thought, ‘see the ball, hit ball,’ keep it simple. I think that’s the best thing to do in baseball.”
After two scoreless innings the Dirtbags added insurance runs from Armando Briseno’s RBI sac-ground in the fourth while Cole Santander hit an RBI double alongside an Alex Champagne RBI sac-fly in the fifth. LBSU added two more in the sixth from back-to-back RBI doubles by Santander and John Newman Jr..
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Newman went 1/2 at the plate with two RBI while Kyle Ashworth reached on all six of his at-bats and added three runs, meanwhile Cole Santander swung 2/4 at the plate with three runs and three RBI.
“Ashworth has been doing it all year long,” said Peters. “He’s a really tough at-bat, he puts up a tough fight and the pitcher has to work his butt off to get him out. Now Santander is one of the ones who was making it easy as it can be on pitchers a couple weeks ago. So to see Cole one, be willing to make adjustments, two, put it into play, and three, turn it into good quality at bats was good. It was something that we knew he was capable of and we’re perfectly timed to get him back to having good at bats and good decisions. He’s lining up good plate discipline with good swings, and you put those things together and he’s a dangerous hitter.”
“It felt great tonight,” added Santander. “We’ve all been working super hard so to be able to get that to pay off is great.”
With SDSU’s young roster of 18 freshmen, the Bags were able to pick on a young defense and forced a pitching change before the final out of the first inning. On the other end, Peters made sure to keep a fresh arm on the mound for LBSU spreading work between pitchers Van Larsen, Nathan Morris, Nick Williams, and Jonathan Largaespada.
“We had to be really strategic with how many arms we were able to use,” he said. “We wanted to put everyone in a position to succeed so we used the guys that were fresh and used the guys who were good matchups for the game today while also being able to save a bit for the weekend series at the same time. So the guys we used were very strategic and they all did a good job.”’
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After the first inning SDSU added three more runs in the fourth and fifth. Jake Jackson went 3/3 with a run and an RBI, meanwhile Shaun Montoya, Jacob Mccombs, and Brady Lavoie recorded a hit and a run each.
LBSU will look ahead to the weekend for their three-game series at home against UC Riverside starting on Friday at 6 pm.
“We have to keep learning,” said Peters. “There were some things in this game to celebrate, but definitely some learning opportunities. (After the game) I wanted to hammer the message that there are several things in this game that we could and should have done better. We pride ourselves on preparation, so let’s not get comfortable and let’s carry this into some success into the weekend.”
Four suspects were behind bars Friday for allegedly beating a man to death two months ago during a fight at Linda Vista Park.
Arrested Wednesday on suspicion of murder in connection with the violent death of 59-year-old Ruben Rimorin were Juan Garcia Alavez, 21, Juan Manuel Lopez, 26, Brian Reyes, 20, and Franklin Joseph Tuell, 21, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Rimorin was found gravely injured about 3:45 a.m. Oct. 18 on a sidewalk in the 6800 block of Osler Street, just west of the park, SDPD Lt. Chris Tivanian said. Paramedics tried in vain to revive the victim before pronouncing him dead at the scene.
It remains unclear what sparked the deadly fight.
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The suspects were being held at San Diego Central Jail without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Friday afternoon.
National City’s Pepper Park can soon expand in size by nearly 50%, thanks to a ruling this week by the California Coastal Commission to approve the National City Balanced Plan.
The approval of the plan at the CCC’s Wednesday meeting, developed by the Port of San Diego, means that not only will the popular park have the ability to increase in size, big changes are coming for commercial, recreation and maritime uses on the National City bayfront.
“We are grateful to the California Coastal Commission for its support of the National City Balanced Plan,” said Danielle Moore, chair of the Board of Port Commissioners. “The progress we have made has been anchored in tireless collaboration with the community, business leaders and, of course, the city of National City. It’s about bringing more recreational opportunities to the bayfront while also streamlining and strengthening maritime operations, and we are eager to bring these projects to life.”
Other components of the balanced plan include:
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Realigning Marina Way to serve as the buffer area between commercial recreation and maritime uses
The closure of Tidelands Avenue between Bay Marina Drive and West 32nd Street, and West 28th Street between Tidelands Avenue and Quay Avenue, around six acres, to increase terminal efficiency by eliminating redundancies
The development of a recreational vehicle park, tent sites, cabins and the “ultimate development of up to two hotels with up to 365 rooms, as well as dry boat storage,” a port statement read
A connector rail project to connect the existing rail and loop track located on the National City Marine Terminal to additional rail car storage spots at the existing Burlington Northern Santa Fe National City Yard east of the National Distribution Center
The Board of Port Commissioners must accept the CCC’s certification, then the port and city can begin the process of completing the above projects.
“I am proud of the work we have done to help create a lasting legacy for National City, the Port of San Diego, and the entire region,” said Port Commissioner GilAnthony Ungab. “Nearly a decade in the making, this plan balances the interests of the community and many other stakeholders, addresses public access, maritime, and recreation uses, and expands waterfront access in my community.”
The National City Bayfront is 273 acres of waterfront land and 167 acres of water, and includes the National City Marine Terminal, Pepper Park, Pier 32 Marina, the Aquatic Center and pieces of public art.
Mayor Todd Gloria announced an initiative Wednesday intended to expand housing options in neighborhoods by integrating small-scale residences such as townhomes, rowhomes and cottages into an area’s existing character.
The Neighborhood Homes for All of Us initiative is also intended to support community land trusts — nonprofit organizations that acquire land to create permanent affordable housing.
“Since Day 1 of my administration, I have been focused on building more homes that San Diegans can actually afford — and getting them built faster,” Gloria said at a news conference Wednesday. “‘Neighborhood Homes for All of Us’ is the latest piece of that puzzle. This innovative program will break down the barriers that have gotten in the way of building the type of housing that I believe is ideal for young families and first-time homebuyers for whom the dream of homeownership has long felt out of reach.”
Around 80% of land zoned for housing in the city is restricted to single-family homes, which continue to increase in price, Gloria said. And a significant portion of new housing being built consists of apartment buildings with primarily studio and one-bedroom units, leaving working-class families fewer and fewer options for homes.
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Neighborhood Homes for All of Us is intended to increase the housing supply and allow community land trusts to keep housing affordable in disadvantaged communities for low- to middle-income families.
“San Diego is an incredible place to raise a family, and more families need the opportunity to do that in San Diego’s existing, highly desirable single-family neighborhoods where their kids can learn and play in a great community,” City Planning Director Heidi Vonblum said. “But today, that comes at a price that is out of reach for too many. Integrating more options for families requires careful and thoughtful planning, with input from existing and future community members across the city, to ensure these new home opportunities for San Diego’s families are built in ways that best enhance and benefit San Diego’s amazing neighborhoods.”
The initiative will roll out in two phases. In the first phase, beginning this week and continuing through next summer, San Diegans can help determine what the neighborhoods can look like. The public will be able to see renderings showing small-scale neighborhood homes within San Diego’s existing communities, along with new regulations that “provide a clear pathway for building these homes,” according to a statement from Gloria’s office.
Phase 1 will also include an open house and ways for the community to provide feedback and concerns.
Phase 2, scheduled for the second half of 2026, will be for city staff to develop regulations allowing for the building of more neighborhood homes in a way informed by the public feedback.
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The initiative is partly funded through a Regional Early Action Planning grant from the San Diego Association of Governments.
