Northridge’s Recovery Slowed by Fullerton : College baseball: Matadors, at home for the first time since the quake, leave 10 baserunners in 1-0 loss to third-ranked Titans.

As if recovery wasn’t already on the minds of the Cal State Northridge baseball team, Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Cal State Fullerton left the Matadors’ thinking more of the same.

“We need to get some good wins under our belts against a good team,” junior catcher Josh Smaler said. “Once that happens, we’ll take it from there.”

Too bad, because this one could have gotten the ball rolling.

Fullerton (11-1), which reached the NCAA Central II regional last season, entered the game ranked third nationally by Collegiate Baseball and is off to its best start in school history.

The Matadors (4-4) held tough for seven innings before Adam Millan’s run-scoring double off senior right-hander Marco Contreras (1-2) provided the game’s only run.

Smaler ended an afternoon of missed opportunities by striking out with runners at first and second with two out in the ninth. He stormed from the batter’s box toward the dugout and his frustrated teammates, who saw their four-game win streak snapped.

“Frustrating,” Smaler said. “I’d say that’s a good word for it.”

Northridge (4-4), playing on its home field for the first time since the Jan. 17 earthquake that damaged much of the campus--including the outfield wall of Matador Field--stranded 10 baserunners against senior left-hander Chad Rolish.

Rolish (3-1), a converted reliever who has yet to pitch a complete game, was one out from going the distance before hitting Tyler Nelson and Jason Shanahan, both on the foot. Right-hander Ted Silva retired Smaler on five pitches to notch his fourth save.

“We had more opportunities than they did, but you’ve got to give their pitcher credit,” Northridge Coach Bill Kernen said. “It’s a sign of our immaturity; we’re an inexperienced group. We’ve got a pretty good mountain to climb as far as growth.”

While construction crews were busy making repairs just beyond the right-field wall, Rolish was making several recoveries within the white lines.

Four times he escaped with runners in scoring position, including a bases-loaded jam in the fourth that ended with a strikeout of Shanahan. A set-up man much of last season, Rolish finished with five strikeouts and four walks.

In the eighth, Contreras yielded a two-out single to Jeff Ferguson. With Ferguson running on the next pitch, Millan delivered a line drive down the left-field line. Brian Vasey had trouble digging the ball out of the corner and Ferguson scored easily.

“I threw a breaking ball and he got it,” said Contreras, who struck out five and yielded six hits while logging his third complete game. “It’s tough for me to take right now. But they’re the third-rated team in the country. I guess I can’t be too disappointed.”