CSUN Turns On Power With 7 Homers, 27-4

A wind storm at Cal State Northridge on Wednesday afternoon made things miserable for almost everyone who watched the Matadors’ nonconference baseball game against The Master’s College.

Men with receding hairlines grabbed the nearest hat. People in shorts shivered through nine innings on chilly metal bleachers.

But those who made it through the entire game saw a little history and a multitude of offense in CSUN’s 27-4 rout of The Master’s. Here are a few of the wind-aided feats:

The Matadors tied a single-game school record with seven home runs, one a grand slam by sophomore Rob Scott.

Jimmy Mitchell, a 5-8, 160-pound second baseman who had not hit a homer in two years at CSUN, slugged two by the fourth inning.

John Balfanz, CSUN’s career home run leader with 30, walked six times in seven plate appearances.

CSUN set a school record with a 12-run fourth inning (the previous high was 11 against the University of San Diego in 1975).

Senior Jim Vatcher was 4 for 6, with 2 homers, 4 runs batted in and 4 runs scored to lead the Matadors’ 23-hit attack.

The Master’s ace, right-hander Jeff Hagy (2-1), allowed 17 runs and 13 hits in 3 innings.

“I thought we’d play better,” said Master’s Coach John Zeller, whose team dropped a 25-3 decision to CSUN last season. “Obviously I’m disappointed, but I appreciated our kids not giving up. I don’t want them to ever have to go through something like that again.”

The game was decided in the second inning when Northridge (6-4 overall) scored six runs on five hits against Hagy. Mitchell fueled the rally with his first homer, a three-run shot that blew over the left-field fence. Chris Pinsak hit a two-run homer later in the inning as CSUN took an 8-0 lead.

The Master’s (3-2) broke the shutout in the fourth inning with a run off right-hander Tony Estrada (1-1), but CSUN countered with the record-breaking inning.

In the fourth, CSUN sent 17 batters to the plate and scored 12 runs on 10 hits, 5 walks and a wild pitch.

By the time Zeller went to the bullpen and replaced Hagy with right-hander Eric Peterson, Northridge had built a 14-1 lead and had the bases loaded. The first batter Peterson faced was Scott, who hit a grand slam.