Chong, CSUN Straighten Pomona Out

Bill Kernen says that it’s just another step in the evolution of a complete baseball player.

Chae-Ho Chong calls it bad judgment on the pitcher’s part.

Either way, Cal Poly Pomona got the message Thursday: Chong can hit a curveball. Soundly.

The Cal State Northridge first baseman, who faced off-speed pitches in each at-bat, drove in seven runs on two singles, a double and a home run as the Matadors thumped Pomona, 15-3, in a California Collegiate Athletic Assn. game at Northridge. The 15 runs were the most CSUN has scored this season and the most Pomona has allowed.

Kernen, coach of the Matadors, had anticipated Chong’s flurry.

“When he (Chong) gets hot, he’s almost impossible to get out,” Kernen said.

The Broncos had a strategy in mind, but Chong set them straight.

“(Pomona) thought the only pitch I could hit was a fastball,” he said. “But I think that was a bad scouting report.”

The word on Matador pitcher Robert Wheatcroft was more accurate, however. Wheatcroft, a right-hander, traditionally has control problems early but toughens as the game progresses.

Pomona (17-24, 10-9 in conference play) came into the game batting .310 and struck for a run in the first inning but did not score again until the seventh. Wheatcroft (10-2) scattered eight hits and struck out three en route to his eighth complete game.

CSUN (21-13-1, 10-9-1) had built a 6-1 lead, then extended that in the sixth. Randy Thompson singled up the middle to lead off the inning, Craig Clayton flied out and Mike Solar walked. Chong followed with a run-scoring double down the third-base line.

After Rusty McLain grounded to third, freshman Denny Vigo hit a ball that eluded Pomona third baseman Jorge Araujo for a double and brought Solar home. Greg Shockey then hit a shot off the mound and into center field, scoring Chong and Vigo.

Ted Weisfuss’ run-scoring double completed the five-run barrage.

The final out of the sixth halted the Matador flurry only temporarily, though. Chong gave Northridge a 14-2 lead in the seventh with a three-run home run over the wall in left.

Pomona looked as if it was going to mount a rally in the seventh when Araujo and Dave Hajek singled with one out and Chris Butterfield walked to load the bases. After Chris Goldbach hit a long fly to left, allowing Araujo to tag and score, Wheatcroft struck out Dan Fouts to get CSUN out of the jam. He then sprinted off the field pumping his fist in the air.

“I’ve established my pitches again,” Wheatcroft said. “I didn’t get a lot of strikeouts but they’re a good hitting team.”