Arms Crisis Handcuffs Northridge in 11-3 Loss

No one on the Cal State Northridge baseball team threw themselves into depths of despair over Friday’s 11-3 loss to Cal Poly Pomona in a California Collegiate Athletic Assn. game at Pomona.

That’s probably because of the lack of pitchers, let alone position players, healthy or rested enough to throw anything for the Matadors.

Workhorses Fili Martinez and Robert Wheatcroft pitched complete games on Tuesday and Thursday. Vale Lopez, Brian Rosselli and Steve Sullivan are nursing sore arms. Eric Spellman is scheduled to start today in the first of two important nonconference games against highly ranked Cal State Sacramento that may have a bearing on at-large playoff bids. Zach Lundin and Pierre Amado are ticketed for relief.

Northridge Coach Bill Kernen, therefore, opted to use three inexperienced pitchers Friday, including two position players who were making their first pitching appearances of the season.

Dan Cory, a junior right-hander who had worked 7 2/3 innings, made his first start and shut out the Broncos for three innings. Cory, however, tired in the fourth when he surrendered the first of the seven runs he would allow in 4 2/3 innings.

“I’m happy to see I can do it, and I’m sure if I get to pitch more I’ll be able to get stronger and go longer,” Cory said.

Cory was relieved in the fifth by freshman outfielder Craig Clayton, who was relieved in the seventh by senior utility man Ted Weisfuss.

All three pitchers displayed admirable poise but, as Kernen said, “You don’t win championships without superior pitching--and lots of it. That means having six or seven guys that can walk out there and you’re fine.”

For Pomona, superior pitching means junior right-hander Wayne Koklys.

Koklys (5-3), who pitched a complete-game victory against Northridge on Tuesday, gave up one hit in 4 1/3 innings in relief of Bret Lachemann to earn the win.

The victory improved Pomona’s record to 18-24 overall, 12-9 in conference play. Northridge is 21-14-1, 10-10-1.

Pomona snapped a 3-3 tie with a four-run fifth inning that featured five hits, including a two-run double by Chris Goldbach, a run-scoring bunt single by Brian Grier and a bloop double by Tim Albert that fell between three Northridge players and scored a run.

Pomona, which lost, 15-3, to Northridge on Thursday, wrapped up its scoring with a run in the sixth and three in the seventh.

“It was nice coming back and giving them a little bit of what they gave us yesterday,” Koklys said.

Northridge took a 1-0 lead in the first when Clayton scored on a wild pitch.

Pomona, which had 14 hits, came back with three runs in the fourth on a run-scoring double by Dan Fouts and a two-run single by Dan Andrews.

CSUN tied the score, 3-3, in the fifth. Rusty McLain drove in Clayton, who had walked, moved to second on an errant pickoff throw by Lachemann and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Greg Shockey drove in Chae-Ho Chong, who had walked, for the Matadors’ final run.