CSUN’s Martinez Stymies Dominguez Hills, 9-0

It’s a safe bet that, after 22 years, Fili Martinez and his valuable left arm have become friends. But every so often, his pitching arm throws him a curve.

Examine Martinez’s performance before and during a California Collegiate Athletic Assn. baseball game at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Thursday: The Cal State Northridge senior allowed just two hits and struck out 14 en route to a 9-0 shutout in the first game of a crucial three-game series between the teams.

But before the game, Martinez felt as if weights were strapped to his wrist.

“It took forever for my fastball to get to the catcher in the bullpen,” he said. “My curve was hanging and nothing felt right.”

Rest assured that when he took the field, everything looked right.

Ask the Dominguez Hills batters, who couldn’t touch Martinez’s pitches until Adrian Rodriguez ripped a single up the middle in the sixth inning to spoil the no-hitter. Rob Campbell’s ninth-inning double was the only other hit the Toros managed.

Ask CSUN Coach Bill Kernen, who said of Martinez’s outing: “It was one of those dominating performances where they don’t even sniff. He’s one of the top-quality left-handed pitchers in college baseball.

“I’ve had some--I know.”

Martinez (8-3), who attributed the effectiveness of his breaking pitches to the steady breeze that blew across the diamond, had never faced Dominguez Hills (15-28-2, 10-17-1 in conference play) before.

But by beating them Thursday, he kept Northridge’s bid for a conference championship--and a playoff berth--alive.

Northridge (29-18-1, 15-11-1) scored two runs in the second and erupted for six in the fourth.

With two out in the fourth, Greg Shockey hit a full-count pitch for a triple to the right-field wall, scoring Randy Thompson.

Chae-Ho Chong followed with a walk and Rusty McLain singled in the infield to score Shockey.

Denny Vigo was hit by a pitch to load the bases, setting the stage for Mike Solar’s grand slam over the left-field fence.

Northridge scored its final run in the fifth when Thompson, who singled up the middle, came home on a single to left by Shockey.