Lack of Arms Sinks Northridge Twice

Cal State Northridge blew a seven-run lead and had its season end Saturday night when it ran out of pitching at the NCAA West Regional.

The situation was so dire in an 11-10 loss to St. John’s that Evan Howland, who threw five innings of relief in a loss to Arizona State earlier in the day, was summoned in the eighth inning in relief of Johnny Najar.

Spent after warming up in the bullpen for four innings, Howland walked eight, including four with the bases loaded.

With two out in the ninth, he walked in the tying and go-ahead runs. He was replaced by first baseman Jason Shanahan, who induced a popout.

In the bottom of the ninth, Chris Olsen struck out, Andy Small struck out, Mike Sims walked, Andy Hodgins reached on an error and Joey Arnold grounded out, ending the second-seeded Matadors’ hopes.

Earlier Saturday, the Matadors were shut out, 9-0, by No. 1-ranked Arizona State.

Northridge Coach Bill Kernen, who was ejected against St. John’s when he replaced Howland with Shanahan, complained bitterly that home plate umpire Tony Gisondi, a resident of New Jersey, squeezed the strike zone throughout the game and particularly on Howland.

“How does a guy from New Jersey wind up umpiring a game involving a team from his region?” Kernen asked, bitterly. “I’m disappointed with the NCAA. I’ve never been in a regional where there were 12 walks in two innings. That was not an accurate reflection of what was really going on, on the field.”

Although he had pitched five innings against Arizona State earlier in the day, Howland said he had no problem pitching again.

In 1 2/3 innings, Howland, a freshman from El Camino Real High who entered the game with a 2-4 record and 9.06 earned-run average, did not allow a hit, but three runs scored on the eight walks.

“When you throw pitches in the strike zone and they are not called strikes and a regional game is on the line, it is frustrating,” he said.

Asked if he considered replacing Howland sooner with Shanahan or Steven Morales, Kernen said: “You bring Nolan Ryan in, he wouldn’t have been able to do that (get a strike call).”

Northridge (36-20) started sky high against St. John’s, a team the Matadors had defeated Thursday in the first round. Northridge scored three runs in the first on a single by Greg Shepard, a walk by Olsen, Small’s run-scoring single, Hodgins’ one-out sacrifice fly and a throwing error by Redman second baseman Nick Cosmo that allowed Small to score.

Najar, who was making his first start since May 8 and only his fifth of the season, allowed the Redmen to load the bases in the second when he hit one batter and walked two others. But he got out of the jam by striking out Jason Loscalzo.

In the third, St. John’s strung together three consecutive hits and drew within 3-1 with two runners on base. But left fielder David Prosenko, playing despite a severe case of flu, caught Mark Bellagamba’s line drive and threw out Brian Fitzsimmons at the plate.

Northridge increased its lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the inning. Small led off with a double and scored on a double by Sims that hugged the right-field line. Between a pair of outs, Arnold and Shanahan drew walks, loading the bases for Prosenko. On a full count, Prosenko walked, scoring Sims.

The Matadors appeared to put St. John’s away in the fourth when they scored three runs with two out. Sims doubled, and Hodgins drove him in with a single that drove left-hander Anthony Sagnelli from the game. Arnold drew a walk against right-handed reliever Jeff Love and Keyaan Cook drove in Hodgins and Arnold with a double for an 8-1 lead.

But St. John’s hammered Najar in the fifth, scoring four runs on four hits, including a two-run triple by Brett Bartkewicz. Northridge scored two more in the seventh, but St. John’s scored four in the eighth to pull within 10-9.

Against Arizona State, right-hander Marc Barcelo (12-3) threw a four-hitter and struck out seven.

Northridge’s pitching was no match for the Sun Devils (45-18), who are hitting .334. Against starter John Bushart and Howland, Arizona State pounded out 15 hits.

“They beat us soundly in every aspect of the game,” Northridge Coach Bill Kernen said.

In the second inning, Bushart, who has lost velocity the past seven weeks because of tendinitis in his shoulder, fell behind in the count 3-and-1 to Antone Williamson. He left the next pitch over the plate and Williamson deposited it over the 30-foot fence in center field.

Before Bushart (10-4) could recover, Todd Cady ripped a 1-and-0 pitch over the left-field fence for his team-leading 17th home run.

The Sun Devils made it 4-0 in the third on a hit and errors by second baseman Olsen and right fielder Shepard.