CS Northridge Proves It Belongs in Gaining Shot at Tournament Title

Win or lose in today’s championship game of the Fresno tournament, the Cal State Northridge baseball team figures to be creating quite a stir in the office of one Lou Pavlovich Jr. in Tucson, Ariz.

Pavlovich is the editor of Collegiate Baseball magazine, which each week ranks the nation’s top baseball teams. Fresno State (14th), North Carolina (16th) and Creighton (20th) all made the ratings this week. Northridge, despite a pretty good record, wasn’t mentioned in the Top 30.

That figures to change.

Northridge advanced to tonight’s 7 p.m. title game by defeating its third ranked opponent in four days. On Friday night, before a partisan crowd of 1,071 at Fresno State’s Beiden Field, it was the host Bulldogs who became the Matadors’ latest victim, 4-1.

“I think it’s about time that somebody realizes we’re one of the (top) teams,” Northridge Coach Bill Kernen said, referring pointedly to Pavlovich. “I don’t see how there could be any question that we can play with anybody.”

Northridge is 19-8-1 overall and 4-1 in the tournament. Creighton (13-2) is also 4-1 in the tournament. Its only loss came to Northridge on Wednesday.

The Matadors, whose biggest question mark coming into the season was pitching, have received complete-game efforts in all five tournament games. Two of them belong to Craig Clayton, who allowed only an unearned run to Fresno in his second four-hitter of the week.

“It was two of the best in the country right there,” Kernen said, referring to Clayton and Fresno starter Bobby Jones.

Jones, a junior right-hander, was the known quantity. He was a first-team All-Big West Conference selection last season and set a school record with 28 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings earlier this season. But CSUN dealt him his first loss of the season after five wins, while Clayton improved to 5-2 with his fifth complete game.

Kernen welcomed the opportunity to face Jones.

“We were hoping to play Fresno with Jones out there mainly because we wanted to be in position to prove ourselves,” Kernen said.

Northridge got on the scoreboard first, scoring twice in the top of the fourth inning. Clayton and Scott Richardson, who scored the runs, started the inning with back-to-back singles. Clayton extended his hitting streak to 19 games.

After moving to third on an out, Clayton scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Greg Shockey. After a walk to Mike Solar, Richardson scored on Kyle Washington’s double in front of right fielder Tim Costic.

Denny Vigo’s fourth home run put the Matadors ahead, 3-0, in the fifth. Batting only .184 and starting for only the fourth time since being sidelined by a pulled right hamstring, Vigo stung Jones with a blast that struck high up on a light standard behind the left-field fence.

Fresno (16-9) pushed over an unearned run without a hit in the seventh. Solar, the Matador shortstop, provided the Bulldogs with their opportunity by committing his second error of the game, this one on Todd Johnson’s leadoff grounder.

Clayton then walked pinch-hitter Brian Christopherson, and after an out, Chris Falco hit a grounder to Solar, who fed second baseman Richardson for the force.

But Richardson’s relay to first sailed over the head of first baseman Scott Sharts, allowing Johnson to score.