Northridge Holds Off Trojans, 5-3

John Bushart lost the no-hitter, the shutout and the complete game Tuesday afternoon. But with an assist from reliever Marco Contreras, Bushart got the victory, 5-3, against USC at Matador Field.

In 50-degree temperatures, Bushart, a left-hander, used a mixture of fastballs, curveballs and occasional changeups to hold the Trojans hitless for 5 1/3 innings and scoreless for eight innings.

“He had marvelous control and he stayed out of our hitters’ zones,” said USC Coach Mike Gillespie, whose team dropped to 3-6.

Northridge (4-0) managed only four hits against a trio of Trojan pitchers, but the Matadors scored in the first and fourth innings and used a three-run home run by Greg Shepard in the seventh to post their fourth consecutive victory.

USC third baseman Aaron Boone, son of former major-leaguer Bob Boone, broke up the no-hitter in the sixth inning with a sharp grounder to center field.

In the eighth, Bushart allowed the Trojans to load the bases on two walks and a single to right field. He got out of the jam when Boone popped out to first baseman Jason Shanahan and Walter Dawkins lined into a double play.

USC chased Bushart in the ninth with two runs on three singles and a walk.

Contreras entered with one out and two on and struck out the first batter he faced. He then surrendered singles to Mike Salmon, brother of Angel right fielder Tim Salmon, and to Boone, allowing USC to pull within two runs.

Finally, with the bases loaded, he induced Dawkins to ground out to third baseman Andy Small to end the game.

Bushart, a junior from Thousand Oaks High, was disappointed with his late-inning performance.

“You always look for that shutout and to go nine,” he said. “In this program we pride ourselves on throwing complete games. Maybe I backed off a little in the eighth. I don’t know. When I get to the eighth inning, I’ve got to smell a complete game.”

Northridge took a 1-0 lead in the first when Chris Olsen and Shepard drew walks and catcher Mike Sims hit a two-out single to center field, scoring Olsen.

In the fourth inning with two out and a full count, center fielder Joey Arnold lashed a double to center field, and Shanahan followed with a double off the left-field wall, scoring Arnold for a 2-0 advantage.

With one out in the seventh, Andy Hodgins reached first on an error by Boone, and Olsen walked. With a 3-0 count, Shepard got the green light. Eyeing a belt-high fastball on the outside part of the plate, he pounded it over the left-field fence.