Arnold’s Slam Makes Mother, CSUN Happy : College baseball: Center fielder’s blast fuels nine-run third as Matadors cruise to 12-5 win over Santa Barbara.

Vicki Arnold knows that her son Joey doesn’t have enough money to buy her a Mother’s Day present. That’s why she came to the fence near the on-deck circle at Matador Field on Friday and asked Joey to give her a hit for the occasion.

Ending an 0-for-13 slump, Arnold ripped the first offering, a letter-high fastball, over the center-field wall with the bases loaded for a gift he and his mother will never forget. In 16 years of baseball, from the West Valley Little League, to Reseda High, to Pierce College, to Cal State Northridge, he had never hit a grand slam.

Arnold’s blast and the complete-game effort of Johnny Najar helped give the Matadors (31-15) their fifth consecutive win, 12-5, over UC Santa Barbara (21-27-1) of the Big West Conference.

Except for a pinch-hit appearance, Arnold, a junior center fielder, had sat out three games because of a slump that sunk his average to .234.

“Some times when you play every day, you take it for granted,” Arnold said. “When you sit, you say, ‘Hey, I gotta prove I belong back in the lineup.’ ”

Arnold harbored no ideas about hitting a grand slam.

“I just wanted to hit the ball hard somewhere,” he said. “I’ve been caught up in trying to get a hit.”

When he was greeted by his teammates at home plate, Arnold waved to his mother.

The two-out homer in the third inning gave Northridge a 7-2 lead. The Matadors, who scored nine runs in the inning, added two runs on hits by Jason Shanahan and David Prosenko and run-scoring singles by Greg Shepard and Chris Olsen.

Najar gave up two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth, then put himself in a hole in the seventh by allowing a leadoff walk and a double. After a brief conversation with fiery catcher Mike Sims, Najar regained his edge and struck out the side on a steady diet of curveballs.

“That nailed it down for him,” Northridge Coach Bill Kernen said. “They were chipping back into it and he kicked it into high gear.”

Najar (5-2), a junior from San Fernando High who is used primarily in relief, made the unusual start in place of left-hander John Bushart who is gaining an eight-day rest between starts because of lingering tendinitis in his throwing shoulder.

“Starting is a little tougher,” said Najar, who stranded 12 runners. “You gotta go longer and stay consistent.”

It didn’t help that Najar threw nearly six innings in the bullpen Sunday, preparing to take over in case Bushart--who pitched a complete game in Northridge’s 11-10 victory--faltered. “Now I know how Evan (Howland) feels,” Najar said of Howland, who warmed up the last three innings behind him.

But like Bushart, Najar didn’t need relief.

Matador Notes

Mike Sims extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a double and a single. Andy Small hit his 16th home run and for the first time surpassed Greg Shepard as the team leader in batting average. Small is hitting .346 to Shepard’s .345.