Robinson’s Homecoming Is a Nightmare : Colleges: Loyola Marymount coach, who formerly was an assistant at Cal State Northridge, watches the Matadors romp to a 12-3 victory.

First-year Loyola Marymount baseball Coach Jody Robinson lives down the street from the Cal State Northridge baseball field, his place of employment as an assistant last season.

“I came here right from home today,” Robinson said after a group of his former pupils pounded his current pitching staff for 14 hits in a 12-3 victory at Matador Field on Wednesday. “That was my only smart move.”

Perhaps, but as the lopsided result of the game would indicate, a coach can only control so much.

“No, this is pretty much all my fault,” Robinson said. “I made the mistake of scheduling them.”

Indeed, when he took over control of Loyola’s program last summer, there were five spots open on the Lions’ schedule. Robinson filled them with five games against teams ranked in the Top 20 of both national polls--three against Cal State Fullerton and two against Northridge.

So far, Loyola is 0-2 against the late additions, 10-27 overall.

The day after getting a season-high 16 hits against the University of San Diego, Northridge pounded four Loyola pitchers, scoring runs in every inning but the fourth and fifth.

With friends such as the Matadors, Robinson doesn’t need enemies. Still, he didn’t seem to take things personal.

In the top of the third inning, with Northridge already leading, 3-1, Robinson, after taking his position in the third base coaching box, successfully bummed a dip of tobacco from Denny Vigo, the Matadors’ third baseman.

Vigo, who had two hits, including his third home run, didn’t even act surprised.

“That was the second one of the day he mooched off me,” Vigo said. “I stopped at 7-11 on the way here. I knew J.R. was coming so I got myself a brand new tin.”

When Robinson wasn’t stealing dip, he was picking pitches from the hands of Kenny Kendrena, Northridge’s ace right-hander, who reported that in the early innings he could hear Robinson “calling the pitch as I threw it.”

It helped--a little. Loyola had seven hits and struck out only seven times against Kendrena (7-4), who came in averaging more than a strikeout per inning. The Lions also hit several balls hard for outs.

Andy Hodgins and Scott Richardson made particularly dazzling defensive plays for Northridge, which improved to 24-7-1 with its fifth consecutive victory.