Kernen Calls Rout of Creighton CSUN’s Best Performance of Year

The rematch was no match at all.

Cal State Northridge put together one of its best efforts of the season in blasting Creighton, 12-2, on Wednesday in the Fresno baseball tournament at Beiden Field.

The Matadors (14-5-1), who lost to Creighton in last year’s tournament championship game, bolted to an 8-2 lead after three innings and coasted behind the four-hit pitching of Steven Morales, who struck out 12.

“On the mound and at bat, we haven’t played any better,” said CSUN second baseman Scott Richardson, who went four for five and scored twice.

Northridge Coach Bill Kernen agreed.

“It was our best quality game of the year,” he said, “and given the quality of the opponent, it makes it easier to measure.”

Creighton, which tied for third in the College World Series last year, carried a 10-5-1 record and a No. 26 ranking from Collegiate Baseball magazine into Wednesday’s game. But the No. 22 Matadors were riding an impressive streak of their own; Wednesday’s win was their 14th in the past 15 decisions.

The eight-team tournament proceeds with cross-divisional play today. Northridge, seeded No. 1 in the Blue Division, was 3-0 in round-robin play on the strength of three complete-game pitching performances.

Kernen said senior left-hander David Eggert (1-0) will start today against Nebraska (11-5) at 4 p.m. The Cornhuskers are 1-2 in the tournament.

The third inning proved pivotal for the Matadors as they scored four times to take an 8-2 lead. But Creighton threatened to get back into the game in the bottom of the inning.

A double by Kimera Bartee and a walk to Rick Freehling put Bluejays on first and second with one out. Morales (3-1) wriggled out of the jam by getting cleanup hitter Chad McConnell on a popup to first and Bob Langer on a popup to third.

Creighton didn’t threaten again until the seventh, but a runner’s-interference call helped Morales escape again.

Creighton had runners on first and third with one out when Bartee hit a ground ball to short. Andy Hodgins fed Richardson for the forceout at second, but Richardson’s throw to first was too late to get Bartee and a run scored.

But infield umpire Al Vieira quickly took the run off the board by ruling that baserunner Eric Mahoney had interfered with Richardson.

Northridge got out of the blocks quickly against Creighton starter Brian O’Conner when Richardson opened the game with a single. Richardson moved around to third as O’Conner struck out Andy Hodgins and retired Greg Shockey on a groundout.

But Greg Shepard followed with a first-pitch, line-drive single to right--the first of his three hits--to score Richardson.

Three more runs would score in the inning, two on an infield error and the other on Mike Sims’ single.

Morales’ worst inning was the second, when he hit McConnell leading off. A double by Langer and a single by Bill Hahn followed, pushing across both Creighton runs.

But the Matadors put the game out of reach in the third, pummeling O’Conner (1-2), a junior right-hander who established a school single-season record for earned-run average (1.91) as a reliever last year.

Shepard singled to open the inning. Kyle Washington followed with a single and Scott Mowl doubled to drive in a run. After Sims hit a two-run single, Denny Vigo closed the scoring by doubling in Sims.