With the power of Danny Espinosa and the arm of Bryan Shaw, Long Beach State took 2-of-3 from then-ranked No. 7 Texas to earn Big West Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week accolades. This is the first honor of the season for both athletes.

In Friday's 7-6 win at Blair Field, Espinosa hit the game-winning single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to complete a three-run ninth-inning comeback. The following day the Santa Ana, Calif., native hit a two-out double to start the winning rally. Espinosa would be driven home to score the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th. For the week he fired a .385 batting average and drove in two runs. Long Beach State would defeat Texas 7-6 and 9-8 (10) before dropping the final game 2-1.

On Tuesday against No. 19 Pepperdine, Espinosa hit a three-run home run in the eighth to tie the game at 7-7 before the contest was suspended in the ninth inning due to darkness. The game will be resumed on April 10 at Blair Field as the front end of a doubleheader.

In the top of the eighth in an 8-8 tie with runners on second and third and no outs, closer Bryan Shaw headed to the mound in an attempt to give Long Beach State an opportunity to knock off No. 7 Texas for the second straight day. For his first out he deaked the batter with a strikeout off a fake intentional walk on a 3-2 pitch. The Livermore, Calif., then struck out the next batter and closed out the inning with a bases-loaded fielder’s choice. He would conclude his performance by retiring a career-best five in a row to collect his first win of the season after the 49ers defeated the Longhorns, 9-8, in a 10-inning ball game.

The 49ers return to action this week as they head to the Lone Star State to take on nationally-ranked Rice in a three-game series.