UCLA Pins 1st Loss on CS Northridge’s Eggert, 4-0

A winning streak came to an end for the Cal State Northridge baseball team Wednesday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Westwood.

David Eggert, the Northridge pitcher who couldn’t pitch without winning, met his match and lost his first decision of the season, 4-0, to UCLA.

But he didn’t go down without a fight. For 6 2/3 innings, Eggert (7-1) shut out a UCLA team that came in batting .296 and averaging more than 6 1/2 runs a game.

But the offense didn’t win this game for UCLA (30-17). Pitching and defense did.

Three Bruin pitchers combined on a four-hitter in handing Northridge its first nine-inning shutout since the Matadors lost to UC Santa Barbara, 3-0, in February, 1991. Northridge was blanked by Nevada Las Vegas late last month in a game that was shortened to five innings by rain.

“They pretty much punched us out from the mound,” Northridge Coach Bill Kernen said. “They just dominated us.”

Adam Schulhofer, a former Cangoa Park High standout, went the first 5 2/3 innings for UCLA but left with the game scoreless. The winner was reliever Tim Kubinski (4-1), who held the Matadors without a hit through the next two innings.

Gabe Sollecito pitched the final 1 1/3 innings to record his 10th save, tying a UCLA record set by Herb Fauland in 1980.

But Northridge (33-10-1) was not without its scoring opportunities. The Matadors wasted a leadoff double by Mike Sims in the fifth when Chris Olsen’s one-hopper just inside third base was turned into an out by Bruin third baseman David Ravitz. The Matadors loaded the bases in the sixth on an error and two walks, but Kubinski struck out Sims for the final out of the inning.

Northridge threatened again in the eighth. The Matadors had two runners on after an error--UCLA committed three--and a two-out single by Mike Solar, but Sollecito squelched that rally by getting Kyle Washington to ground to short.

UCLA’s first run was generated by a couple of players used to providing offense for the Bruin football team.

Eggert took a two-hitter into the seventh inning, but with two out Brian Criss doubled into the gap in right-center, becoming only the second UCLA player to reach second base.

Michael Moore, a receiver on the school’s football team, was sent in to run for Criss and scored easily when football tailback Shawn Wills lined a single into left field. Washington made an attempt to shoestring the ball but came up with only grass.