Cal State Northridge Quickly Goes Downhill at Irvine, 11-2

UC Irvine’s Anteater Field features a grass terrace in front of the outfield fence, in line with its designer’s belief that a slope would be safer for fielders than a conventional warning track.

Cal State Northridge appeared to have little trouble adjusting to the unusual outfield--but it did have other problems Friday in an 11-2 nonconference loss to Irvine.

Northridge, which has been held to fewer than five runs in eight of its past nine games, advanced only three runners past second base Friday.

Irvine, meanwhile, pounded out 16 hits, including 13 singles, off three Matador pitchers.

“We didn’t hit the ball out of here,” Irvine Coach Mike Gerakos said. “We swung the bat well and just put the ball into play. We hit the ball at the right times. We were able to take advantage of our opportunities.”

Irvine sent nine batters to the plate in a five-run third inning to snap a 1-1 tie.

Three runs scored on a long fly ball by Irvine’s Mike Goodcase that would have ended the inning had the ball been caught. But Northridge right fielder Craig Johnson lost it in the sun and it turned into an inside-the-park home run.

“That third inning just killed us,” said Northridge first baseman Scott Sharts, whose 10th home run gave Northridge a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

“We couldn’t field ground balls. We couldn’t get anything going. Everything they hit went into the holes.”

Irvine added two runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings and one run in the sixth.

Cort Wright scored Northridge’s only other run in the ninth. Wright doubled, advanced to third on a fielder’s choice and came home on a wild pitch.

Irvine starter Chris Huber (4-0) entered the game with 15 strikeouts. But the junior struck out eight Friday, limiting Northridge to four hits in six innings.

“He threw some quality pitches,” Gerakos said of Huber, who made his first pitching appearance of the season only three weeks ago after being sidelined because of a shoulder strain.

“He’s not a strikeout pitcher. We are starting him out slowly, but he’s been improving tremendously each game with rehabilitation.”

Northridge right-hander Craig Clayton (5-3), making his first start since a complete-game victory over Cal State Los Angeles last week, pitched five innings, surrendering 10 runs--nine earned--on 12 hits.

Clayton had three of the Matadors’ eight hits, all on singles. Osmar DeChavez had four hits and Goodcase (four runs batted in) and Bill Bardens each had three hits for Irvine (18-9).

Northridge (12-12), which lost to UCLA on Wednesday, will meet United States International today at 2 p.m. at Matador Field.