It's an old cliché, but anything can happen when Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton meet up in any sport, perhaps even more so in baseball.  Let's go back to March 24, 2013, when the Titans beat the Dirtbags in one of the wildest, jaw-dropping plays in the history of this storied rivalry.  

The #8 in the nation Titans were riding high with a 20-3 record, and winners of their last nine games in a row as they prepared for game three of a nonconference series with Long Beach State at Blair Field.

Fullerton had won the first two games by scores of 6-0 and 8-5.  Grahamm Wiest would take the mound for the Titans, facing the Dirtbags' David Hill.  Runs at cavernous Blair Field were always at a premium as the Titans attempted to achieve a series sweep that warm Sunday afternoon. 

Cal State Fullerton took a 1-0 lead following Jared Deacon's one-out single to right-center, allowing Michael Lorenzen to score from second.  The Titans added another run in the fifth inning when Keegan Dale was issued a leadoff walk, and 5'6" Richy Pedroza smashed a double over the head of LBSU's right fielder Richard Prigatano, scoring Dale from first base.   

Long Beach would follow up with a run in the fifth inning.  The sixth, seventh, and eighth innings would be scoreless battles.  Long Beach starter David Hill would leave the game in the sixth inning, replaced by Josh Frye, and later, Landon Hunt.  Together, they would stymie the Fullerton offense, giving up only one hit. 

After battling into the bottom of the ninth inning, Titan starter Wiest gave up a single to Long Beach State's Mike Hill, and was replaced on the mound by hard-throwing Michael Lorenzen, who came in from center field looking for his second save in consecutive days.

Wiest had pitched well, scattering seven Long Beach hits, allowing only one earned run, and significantly, no walks in his eight complete innings. 

A single by Prigatano and a sacrifice bunt by Brennan Fulkerson had Long Beach with the tying run at third (Hill), and the go-ahead run at second (Prigatano) with only one out.  

And then, things started to get wacky:  The Dirtbags appeared to tie the game on Eric Hutting's sacrifice fly.  His brother, Anthony, played for the Titans from 2010 to 2013.

According to urban legend, eagle-eyed Undergraduate Assistant Coach Shane Costa was closely watching Hill on third base, and believed that he had left early, informing Titan Head Coach Rick Vanderhook, who appealed to third base umpire Ramon Amendariz, who confirmed what Costa had seen.  Double play!  Titans win!!

The sweep would improve Fullerton's record to 21-3.  Unfortunately, their 10-game winning streak would be snapped with a weekday loss to LMU.

The Titans would finish the season with an incredible 51-10 record, winning the Regional at Goodwin Field before disappointingly falling to UCLA in consecutive games in the Super Regional.  Lorenzen, Thomas Eshelman, and Justin Garza would all be named ABCA/Rawlings All-Americans, and Rick Vanderhook was named Big West Coach of the Year.    

Notes:  Michael Lorenzen is in his 11th Major League season, currently with the Kansas City Royals.  Shane Costa also played for the Royals from 2005 to 2007.

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