COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS : Penner, Balfanz Leave Their Marks in Victory Over Pepperdine, 9-2

Dan Penner won his fourth game and John Balfanz hit his fifth home run as Cal State Northridge routed Pepperdine, 9-2, in a nonconference baseball game Tuesday in Malibu.

Penner (4-2), a senior, pitched his second complete game. He allowed seven hits and one earned run, struck out eight and walked one. He has struck out 41 batters in 47 innings this season.

Northridge (11-6) scored four runs in the third inning after Pepperdine, ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division I, had taken a 1-0 lead in the first. Scott Stewart doubled to score John Balfanz, who had walked, and Chris Pinsak, who had reached base on a throwing error. Craig Burns also had an RBI in the inning, and Scott McIntyre scored on a passed ball.

CSUN extended its lead to 7-1 in the fourth inning when Jim Vatcher doubled, went to third on a ground out and scored on Lenn Gilmore’s sacrifice fly to center. Jimmy Mitchell then walked before Balfanz hit a home run for his 19th and 20th RBIs of the season.

Lenn Gilmore doubled in Tim Rapp and Vatcher scored on a throwing error for CSUN’s final runs in the eighth.

BASEBALL

Is it too early to judge how the 1987 Master’s College baseball team matches up against last year’s team?

No. It’s too late.

The 1987 team is better.

Consider: The Mustangs already have won more games (7-1) in the NAIA’s District III than they did last season (6-13-1). Master’s already has 12 home runs in 15 games after hitting only 31 in 54 games last season.

And with a ball-mashing 12-2 win at Cal Lutheran on Tuesday, Master’s has beaten the Kingsmen twice in a season for the first time in the school’s history.

“We beat them at their place,” Coach John Zeller said. “That’s a hitter’s ballpark. We got eight runs on ‘em, but eight runs ain’t nothing in that place.”

Unless, of course, you hit three home runs, including a grand slam, and have three pitchers combine on a four-hitter. Starter Frank Mutz, a transfer from Hawaii who is one of 15 first-year Mustangs, allowed the four hits in six innings and improved his record to 3-0. Mutz struck out six and walked one before being relieved by Kevin Taylor.

In the Mustang first, Chris Hernandez was hit by a pitch, Tony Ellis reached base on an error and Tim Kane brought everybody home with his third home run of the season.

In the second, Eric Beagles walked, stole second, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a passed ball. Ellis then singled, Kane walked and freshman Jeff Preston hit a home run to give the Mustangs a 7-0 lead. The Mustangs (9-3, 7-1) picked up another run in the third when Ellis singled home Beagles.

“Before the season started,” Zeller said, “we didn’t really think we’d hit the ball very well. . . . these kids are really hitting the ball.”

And hitting it really far, too.

In the eighth, Ellis and Kane walked, Preston singled, and Todd Skinner followed with his first home run, a grand slam.

After singling in the fifth, Dave Hallisey scored on an infield error for Cal Lutheran’s first run. In the sixth, Hallisey singled and scored Ed Howard, who had reached base on an error.

Chris Vanole was the losing pitcher for Cal Lutheran (4-8, 2-6). Dan Meltreger, Kade Duey and Jay Anderson pitched in relief for the Kingsmen.

“This is almost a team of first-year kids,” Zeller said. “Only four of our 19 players played with us last season. We’re pretty happy right now.”