CSUN Pirates a Victory in Its Final At-Bat
The Jolly Roger, part of the Cal State Northridge baseball team’s new swashbuckling image, flaps brazenly in the breeze over Matador Field.
The Matadors have taken to calling their field the House of Doom, and Saturday it was the site of a plundering as Northridge stole a 4-3 California Collegiate Athletic Assn. win from Cal State Los Angeles.
Northridge, benefiting from a mental mistake by Los Angeles, scored twice in the ninth inning to pull out its second conference victory against the Golden Eagles in two days.
The Matadors are 9-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play, but Coach Bill Kernen was less than ecstatic about the way his club performed.
“I don’t feel like we’re very intimidating right now,” Kernen said. “I feel like I’m coaching the Ringling Brothers. We’re living on the edge.
“I didn’t expect them to be the ’27 Yankees in two weeks, but we honest to God are not playing well. I’m probably the most unhappy 9-1 coach around.”
Los Angeles (5-12, 0-2), which committed seven errors in Friday’s CCAA opener, made four more Saturday, contributing to two Matador runs. But it was a mental mistake by reliever Ed Juarez in the final inning that cost the Golden Eagles the game.
The Matadors trailed, 3-2, entering the ninth, but Denny Vigo and Anton Siegl led off with a single and double against reliever Bryan Hatch, who was then lifted in favor of Mike Utke.
Utke got Rusty McLain on a grounder to short, but Ted Weisfuss smashed a hard grounder off the glove of third baseman Brad Mengel. Shortstop Brent Bish picked up the ball and threw home, but it was too late to catch a sliding Vigo carrying the tying run.
Exit Utke, enter Juarez, who struck out pinch-hitter Kevin Ogle for the second out, then walked Randy Thompson to load the bases.
Craig Clayton tapped a grounder to the right side that Mike Lau and Ed Pimentel converged on, leaving first base uncovered. Second baseman Pimentel came up with the ball but had to delay his throw for the late-arriving Juarez. Clayton hustled his way safely to the bag while pinch-runner Mike Solar scored the winning run.
“I didn’t hit it very well, but I hit it in the right spot,” Clayton said.
Vale Lopez (2-0) went the distance for Northridge, allowing seven hits and three earned runs. He struck out six and walked two.
Clayton led the Matadors’ 11-hit attack with three singles. Thompson singled, doubled and scored a run.