Northridge Shows Signs of Life, Routs CSLA, 12-3

An hour before Wednesday’s Cal State Northridge-Cal State Los Angeles baseball game, CSUN Coach Terry Craven called his players together for one of those team meetings--a sort of spiritual you-gotta-believe revival--that’s supposed to turn a struggling team around.

It seemed as if Craven might as well have been straightening deck chairs on the Titanic. The Matadors were in a slump. Beyond that, in recent games they looked as if maybe their talent was a notch below other teams in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn.

The Golden Eagles, on the other hand, were holding down second place in the CCAA. They were coming off a win over conference-leading Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Apparently, Craven made believers out of his players. The Matadors (13-17, 5-8) beat CSLA, 12-3. CSLA is 14-20 and 8-6.

Said shortstop Gary Williams: “Some of our guys haven’t bounced back from their mistakes. It was mental. In the meeting, we talked about believing we could win. Today, people finally got that in their heads.”

CSUN won on strong pitching and aggressive hitting. Starter Tony Estrada was relieved in the sixth inning by Jeremy Hernandez, and Cheeky Palomarez finished for the Matadors.

Northridge jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning when Craig Burns hit his third home run, a three-run shot over the wall in left. The Matadors added two runs in the third, and the game was never close.

When first baseman John Balfanz homered in the eighth, CSUN’s lead was 10-3.

“We’ve been taking too many pitches,” said Burns. “We needed to swing the bat and be more aggressive--and that’s what we did. We have confidence now.”

CS LOS ANGELES--Moore, Bene (5), LaRiviere (7), Utke (8) and Lynch, Kusel (8).

CS NORTHRIDGE--Estrada, Hernandez (6), Palomarez (9) and Muzzey.

WP--Estrada (1-2); LP--Moore (4-4).