CSUN Sets Course for Final Four : Lucero, Slaten Lead Lady Matadors, 2-1

Nancy Lucero, the designated-hitter on the Cal State Northridge softball team, recently learned an interesting lesson about the breaks of the game--on the staircase of her apartment building.

Lucero, a senior, broke her nose Feb. 28 when she fell while trying to corral her pregnant cat. The incident forced Lucero to don a face mask on the field to protect her nose from further injury.

“I think wearing that face mask helped my hitting,” Lucero said. “It forced me to concentrate on the ball. I know I’m not focused if I’m seeing the bars of the mask.”

When Lucero stepped to the plate Saturday, in the eighth inning of the Western Regional final against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, she clearly saw teammate Barbara Jordan standing on second base--the winning run, which would send the Lady Matadors to Akron, Ohio. That would be a shot at their fourth consecutive NCAA Division II title.

Lucero, demonstrating that her injury did not hinder her smell for victory, delivered a two-out single to left off pitcher Randie Hill to put the Lady Matadors ahead, 2-1. CSUN pitcher Kathy Slaten retired the final three San Luis Obispo batters to secure the win before a standing-room-only crowd of 400 at Lady Matador Field.

“This is the most exciting moment of my life,” Lucero said. “We worked harder for this than in any of the three previous years. I couldn’t sleep the past two nights because I was thinking about this game.”

Saturday’s game had been on the minds of players for both teams for weeks. Ever since CSUN and San Luis Obispo played to a scoreless tie seven weeks ago, in the championship game of the CSUN Tournament, it seemed obvious that the regional title would come down to a game between the same two teams.

“I’ll tell you one thing,” said Jill Hancock, San Luis Obispo’s All-American left fielder. “You saw the national championship game right here today. Northridge is going to walk through that tournament in Ohio.”

CSUN (49-10-1) may not waltz to the title, but the Lady Matadors’ roster is full of experienced players who have been in playoff situations before.

“Lucero and Slaten are the kinds of people you want out there,” CSUN Coach Gary Torgeson said. “Lucero won something like nine games for us last year with key hits. Slaten has composed herself and she’s using power and intelligence. She’s more of an All-American now than she’s been in the past.”

For the second time in as many days against San Luis Obispo, Slaten abandoned her power game in favor of spotting the ball in the strike zone. Slaten (21-4-1) allowed eight hits, struck out three and walked one. The only run the three-time All-American surrendered came in the sixth inning when Holly Koklich singled in Lisa Johnson to tie the game at 1.

“I choked in the sixth inning,” Slaten said. “I knew I had three tough hitters that inning and I gave them all pitches to hit. I wasn’t going to let that happen in the eighth inning. I wanted to win this one for our seniors.”

Slaten, Lucero, Terri Lamoree and Jamie Gray are the four CSUN seniors who will get the opportunity to play their entire college careers on national championship teams.

Helping that cause along, as they did Saturday, will be sophomore left fielder Beth Onestinghel and Jordan, a junior center fielder.

Onestinghel gave the Lady Matadors a 1-0 lead in the third inning when she singled home Barb Flynn, who had led off the inning with an infield single. It was Onestinghel’s 31st run batted in this season.

Jordan, an All-American, overcame a case of swollen knuckles and doubled down the left-field line with one out in the eighth to set up Lucero’s heroics. It was Jordan’s second hit of the game.

Notes

CSUN, representing the Western Region, will be joined in Akron by Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania (East), Northeast Missouri University (Central), and either Sam Houston State or Stephen F. Austin University, both from Texas (South). . . .CSUN players Desiree Molnar, Kathy Vaughn, Lori Henson, Gretchen Goode, April Russell, Jill Clemens and Michelle Pappalardo were dropped from the team’s roster to make the NCAA limit of 18. All seven, however, will accompany the team to Ohio.