CSUN’s Torgeson Wins 500th Game as Softball Coach

Cal State Northridge softball Coach Gary Torgeson reached a milestone Friday and he wasn’t about to let it pass unnoticed.

With the Matadors’ 2-0 win over Minnesota in a San Diego tournament game in Escondido, Torgeson notched his 500th coaching victory in less than 11 years.

“It’s a milestone,” he said. “To downplay 500 wins would be to say it’s not a big moment, and that’s just not the truth.”

An error, two hits and a wild pitch in the second inning gave Northridge all the runs it would need against Minnesota, and freshman Kathy Blake (5-1) made them stand up by firing a two-hitter.

A former head football coach at Northridge, Torgeson is 500-180-5 since taking over the softball program in 1982. He led the Matadors to four NCAA Division II championships in the 1980s and his team went 34-32 last season, the school’s first at the Division I level.

The Matadors (9-8) gave Torgeson his 499th win with a 13-0, five-inning rout of St. Mary’s in an afternoon game. Beth Calcante went three for four with three runs batted in and Tamara Ivie and Kim Oakes each added two hits.

Northridge opened with a 3-0 loss to UCLA. Bruin pitcher Lisa Fernandez, who no-hit CSUN earlier this season, settled for a one-hitter this time, striking out nine and walking three. Ivie’s second-inning single was CSUN’s only hit.