College Baseball : Sound Pitching Leads Northridge to Sweep

Cal State Northridge, which entered Saturday’s California Collegiate Athletic Assn. doubleheader against Cal State Dominguez Hills with a team earned-run average of 6.29, received two strong pitching performances and swept the Toros, 10-0 and 7-1, at Northridge.

Junior right-hander Robert Wheatcroft (2-4) threw a three-hit shutout in the first game, striking out eight and walking five.

In the second game, junior right-hander Leo Ramirez hurled his second consecutive complete-game victory. Ramirez (4-5) struck out four, walked one and allowed five hits.

Northridge (16-23, 7-7 in conference play) benefited from eight Dominguez errors in the opener; only three of the Matadors’ runs were earned.

Senior right fielder Lenn Gilmore continued his hot hitting, going 3 for 4 in the first game with a triple and two singles. Gilmore was 5 for 7 on the day with three runs batted in and four runs scored. He raised his season RBI total to a career-high 49.

Mark Bowen hammered his fifth home run with a solo blast in the third inning of the opener.

Northridge broke a scoreless tie in the second game with a five-run second inning. The big blow came with runners on first and second and Gilmore at the plate.

Gilmore hit a single that got past the center fielder, allowing Gilmore to score on the three-base error.

Designated-hitter Rusty McLain doubled, singled, scored two runs and drove in a run for CSUN in the second game.

Northridge travels to Dominguez Hills on Monday for a 2:30 p.m. game.

Biola 10, The Master’s 9--Brett Thorsteinson hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning after visiting Biola staged a five-run rally in the ninth to send the NAIA District III game into extra innings. Thorsteinson’s fly scored Fred Speck, who had walked and moved to third on a walk and single.

In the ninth, Speck led off with a strikeout before Master’s pitchers Kevin Taylor and reliever David Mayr put the next seven Eagle batters on base. With Master’s leading, 9-4, Biola capitalized on three hits, three walks and an error for its five runs.

Mark MacArthur had Master’s only extra-base hit, a run-scoring double in the eighth.

Taylor went the first 8 innings before being relieved by Mayr (1-2), who suffered the loss.

Master’s dropped to 20-21, 9-7 in district play.

Cal Lutheran 3-4, Southern California 2-6--Jon Egertson hit a two-run single in the seventh as Cal Lutheran rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the first game of the Golden State Athletic Conference doubleheader at Southern Cal.

With Cal Lutheran (18-17, 10-6) trailing, 2-1, Gene McGary walked and Tim Lewis reached base on an error. McGary and Lewis moved up on Dave Leonhardt’s sacrifice bunt before Egertson, who went 3 for 4, singled them home.

Egertson homered in the first inning of the second game. The Vanguards jumped ahead, however, on Carlos Salazar’s three-run home run in the same inning and added two in the fourth and another in the seventh.

Greg Minick (3-6) went the distance in suffering the loss.

Cuesta 15-6, Pierce 9-5--Pierce staged a four-run rally in the seventh inning of the second game, but Scott Schaeffer popped out with the bases loaded to end the comeback as the Brahmas extended their losing streak to 10 games in the Western State Conference doubleheader at Pierce.

Trailing, 6-1, Eric Tosoonian hit a three-run home run in the seventh to lead the Pierce rally.

In the first game, Sebastian Goodlow of Pierce (10-15, 3-13) doubled, tripled and knocked in one run.

Ventura 5-5, Moorpark 3-1--Greg Struhl and Corey Aurand both homered in the first game of the Western State Conference doubleheader at Moorpark, but the Raiders couldn’t protect a 3-0 lead.

Moorpark (8-17, 3-13) led in both games. Ventura (21-7-1, 12-4), leader of the WSC Northern Division, rallied for three runs in the sixth inning and two in the seventh of the second game.