CS Northridge Can’t Take the 5th, Falls to Pomona

For four innings Saturday, Cal State Northridge left-hander John Bushart did a fine impression of former major league pitcher Tommy John, the ground-ball specialist.

Bushart induced nine ground balls, forced two double plays and did not allow a hit to Cal Poly Pomona over the first four innings of the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. game at Northridge.

But in the fifth, Bushart’s routine fell apart. First he lost the no-hitter, then the shutout, and finally the game.

Bushart was tagged for five hits and six earned runs in the fifth, as Pomona came back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat Northridge, 7-5, for the first time in five meetings this season.

Matador Coach Bill Kernen demonstrated the patience of a fisherman as Pomona battered Bushart in the fifth inning.

“I kept thinking he was going to get the third out, but he didn’t,” Kernen said.

Steve Keelin broke up the no-hitter with a leadoff single to left field, but Bushart retired the next two batters and appeared to be in control. Then Kurt Miltenberger lined a run-scoring single to left-center. Runs began pouring in.

Dan Andrews followed with a walk and Jason Keeline laced a two-run double down the third-base line. Neil Weingarten singled in a run and Matt Bullock bounced a double off the wall for two more.

Bushart (4-1) walked the next batter and saw him go to second on a wild pitch before Kernen finally yanked the freshman in favor of Todd Denhart.

Denhart gave up a single that scored the sixth run of the inning, then struck out Erik Daniels to end the onslaught.

“Bushart got the ball up and into hittable areas and they hammered him,” Kernen said. “We didn’t really self-destruct, they just beat us.”

In the first, Denny Vigo hit Northridge’s first home run in six games, a two-run shot. Northridge (22-14, 9-6 in conference play) made it 3-0 in the second inning on Greg Shockey’s RBI single.

But after Pomona’s six-run spurt, the Matadors could not respond sufficiently.

Shockey drove in Mike Sims with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and Vigo smacked his 10th home run in the sixth to cut the deficit to 6-5. But that’s as close as Northridge could get against Pomona freshman Rich Rohde (2-0), who limited the Matadors to six hits in his first collegiate start.

Scott Sharts, who leads Northridge with 16 homers, struck out twice and did not get the ball out of the infield in four at-bats.

Sharts did not get a hit in the three-game series with Pomona (10-26, 4-12) and is hitless in his last 19 at-bats.

“He’s been struggling,” Kernen said. “There’s always ups and downs during the season--especially with power guys.”