CSUN Shuts Up Chapman With Doubleheader Sweep

The Cal State Northridge softball team never has a hard time getting up for games with Chapman College.

“They pop off all the time,” said Matadors second baseman Kim Bernstein. “And they don’t have anything to pop off about.”

Said CSUN pitcher Kathy Slaten: “I just don’t like them and I never have. I was waiting for a fight. I was going to get right in.”

Chapman, ranked sixth in Division II, rarely has beaten Northridge in the last three years. But the last time Chapman beat the top-ranked Lady Matadors was for the championship of the Chico tournament in March.

“In the last three years, they’ve taken a less than classy approach when they’ve played us,” Northridge Coach Gary Torgeson said. “I know it’s not their coach. I think their kids are just frustrated.”

The frustration continued for Chapman on Saturday as CSUN (34-8-1, 6-2) won the first game in eight innings, 1-0, then made it a sweep with a 5-0 victory in the second game of a California Collegiate Athletic Assn. at Lady Matador Field.

Tacason, a freshman, pitched well for the Panthers, but Slaten and Lisa Martin were more impressive.

Slaten (13-4-1), a three-time All-American, bounced back strong from the 14-hit shelling she took Friday against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Against Chapman (24-13, 4-4), Slaten scattered four hits, had seven strikeouts and overcame five errors by the Lady Matadors to record the shutout.

Martin (9-1) pitched her third one-hitter of the year.

The offensive heroics in the first game were provided by Northridge left fielder Beth Onestinghel, who singled up the middle in the eighth inning to drive in Barb Flynn with the game-winning run.

“I’ve been hitting all right this year, but I’m glad I was able to come through in the clutch,” said Onestinghel, who is batting better than .300 and has a team-high 22 runs batted in. “There’ve been some cheap shots in our games with Chapman. We just wanted to come back and show them who was better.”

Martin, who had three strikeouts and walked two in the second game, has been improving with each outing. She lost her bid for a no-hitter when Tracey Case singled in the fourth inning.

The Lady Matadors gave Martin a cushion when they scored two runs in the first inning.

Northridge’s Barbara Jordan walked to lead off the inning and advanced to second when Onestinghel’s ground ball went through the legs of Chapman third baseman Margaret Schubert. Nancy Lucero sacrificed the runners to second and third, and Kelly Winn was walked intentionally to load the bases.

Terri Lamoree drove in the game’s first run when she hit a ground ball to Chapman second baseman Leslie Burke, who threw too late to get Jordan at home plate. Kim Bernstein followed with a ground out to second that scored Onestinghel.

The Lady Matadors scored three runs in the sixth inning to secure the sweep.

Notes

Northridge center fielder Barbara Jordan had three hits on the day. . . .The Lady Matadors travel to Riverside on Tuesday to make up a doubleheader that was postponed March 11. The games with Riverside will be the first road games CSUN has played since March 1.