CS Northridge Gets a Split as Title Hopes Fade

Heading into the final third of the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. baseball season, Cal State Northridge Coach Terry Craven will admit only that his team is down--not out.

But after splitting a conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Cal State Los Angeles, he conceded that the Matadors are running out of time.

“We’re not mathematically out of it yet, but that gets closer every day,” Craven said.

Northridge avoided moving closer to elimination by rallying for a 6-4 victory in the second game Saturday. Cal State Los Angeles won the opener, 3-2, behind the six-hit pitching of sophomore Chris LaRiviere.

The Golden Eagles were on their way to a sweep, leading 3-0, until the Matadors (16-20, 9-11) put together a four-run fourth.

In an unusual play in the inning, Scott McIntyre produced two runs with a fly ball out to deep center field that tied up CSLA’s Loy McBride at the fence, allowing two runs to score. Jim Vatcher and Gary Williams had run-scoring singles.

McIntyre singled in Mark Anderson with the game-winning run in the fifth inning, and John Balfanz added a home run in the sixth for Northridge.

The victory went to Dan Gonzalez, who survived a rocky start to go the distance for his second win in nine decisions.

To Craven, the comeback victory was a sign that his team hasn’t quit.

“When we got behind right away, and Gonzalez, with as much bad luck as he’s had pitching, it looked bad,” Craven said. “Teams with our record could have quit.

“But they haven’t done that all year, and they didn’t do it today. Gonzalez, in fact, finished the last three or four innings as good as he’s ever pitched.”

Gonzalez, one of only three seniors on the team, allowed three runs and seven hits through the first three innings before making some adjustments.

“What I had to do was establish my curveball because I didn’t have much on my fastball,” he said. “I made some bad pitches and they hit them, but they couldn’t hit a breaking pitch.”

With 10 games remaining on the CCAA schedule, Northridge trails conference leader Cal Poly Pomona by six games in the loss column. Cal State Dominguez Hills is in second place.

Northridge plays both schools at home this week, a fact not lost on Craven or his players.

“We’ve got Pomona and Dominguez Hills in our yard this week, and we play good ball there,” Gonzalez said. “I think we still have a shot at it.”

Shot or no shot, the Matadors promise to show up.

“We’re not going to give up,” Williams said. “Even if we’re out of it--and I don’t think we are right now--we’re going to battle every game.”

Craven didn’t understate the significance of the games with Pomona and Dominguez Hills.

“We win those three games, and we’re back in it--along with everyone else in the conference,” he said.