Penner Fills Relief Role for CSUN in 11-7 Win

All season long the Cal State Northridge bullpen has demonstrated a propensity for blowing late-inning leads, causing much concern for Coach Terry Craven.

Predictably, Wednesday’s California Collegiate Athletic Assn. game at Cal State Los Angeles provided more dramatics. Only this time, with the aid of a starter turned reliever and some power-hitting, CSUN escaped with a 10-inning, 11-7 victory.

The Matadors, behind a strong pitching performance by left-hander John LaRosa, held a 7-2 lead and were coasting with two outs and the bases empty in the bottom of the ninth.

“It sure looked like last week,” Craven said, referring to the Golden Eagles’ 10-8 comeback win at Matador Field. “We had two outs. One more and we go home.”

It wasn’t to be, however. At least not then. A single and a walk preceded a three-run homer by Shaun Doyle that made the score, 7-5. Doyle also was last week’s villain with a game-winning, two-run homer.

Jim Lynch’s single kept the rally going and pinch-hitter Steve Russell tripled to right-center. Lynch scored and Russell came home with the tying run on second baseman Pierre Rodnunsky’s throwing error.

Exit LaRosa and enter Dan Penner, who is normally a starter.

After striking out Steve Hesla to end the ninth, Penner (9-5) watched teammates Chris Pinsak and Mark Anderson hit back-to-back home runs off Chris LaRiviere (3-2), the third of six Golden Eagles pitchers, for a 9-7 lead. With one out, Jim Vatcher connected off Aaron Moore for his 12th home run, tying John Balfanz for the team lead. Lenn Gilmore followed with a triple, and Tim Rapp singled him home one out later.

The Matadors (29-16, 13-8 in conference) took a 1-0 lead on a second-inning single by Anderson that scored Scott McIntyre. An inning later, Rapp made it 3-0 with a two-run single that scored Gilmore and Balfanz.

Cal State L.A. got two runs back in the home half of the third, but CSUN scored three unearned runs in the fifth and Gilmore hit a double in the eighth that scored Anderson to give CSUN a 7-2 lead.