Northridge’s Fast Start Dissolves Into 10-5 Loss : College baseball: Third-ranked Fullerton tracks down CSUN after falling behind, 3-0.

Outfielder Brian Vasey took a mighty swing and slammed the soles of his spikes together in the Cal State Northridge dugout.

Gobs of mud, grass, chalk and water flew everywhere. All of which had nothing to do with his coach’s assessment of Northridge’s 10-5 nonconference loss to third-ranked Cal State Fullerton on Monday.

“It’s an immature, inexperienced group,” Northridge Coach Bill Kernen said of his troops. “We’re just getting our feet wet.”

In more ways than one, as Vasey found out.

At one point, Vasey peeled out while trying to run down a pop fly in foul territory and never recovered in time to make the catch. Likewise, Northridge had enough horsepower, but spent most of the afternoon spinning its wheels and going nowhere.

The Matadors (4-5) had 12 hits, but stranded a season-high 13 runners--despite hitting into two double plays. The lack of a timely hit was a carryover from Saturday’s game with Fullerton, during which Northridge left two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth and lost, 1-0.

“For whatever reason, we can’t get in sync,” Kernen said. “If people put their best out there and get blown away, well, that would be something else. But that’s not happening.”

The runs weren’t especially happening, at least not after a fast start. Northridge jumped to a 3-0 lead in the second when slumping first baseman Jason Shanahan ripped a three-run homer over the fence in right. It marked the season’s first runs batted in for Shanahan, a returning starter.

Fullerton (12-1) closed within 3-2 on a two-run homer by catcher Bret Hemphill (four RBIs) in the second, yet the Matadors appeared ready to counter when they banged out three consecutive singles in the third to load the bases against senior right-hander Dan Ricabal, who was 11-3 last year.

Vasey and third baseman Tyler Nelson, both first-year starters, stuck out to end the threat, however, and the frustration only mounted. By the time Ricabal (2-0) was replaced after five innings by Mike Parisi, he had given up eight hits, walked one and hit a batter.

Nonetheless, Fullerton held an 8-3 lead by then, in part because Northridge right-hander Keven Kempton (0-2) continued to struggle. Kempton, who won 10 games last year, gave up eight earned runs and 10 hits over six innings. As a result, the team earned-run average ballooned to 5.56.

Kempton gave up five consecutive singles to open the fourth--two never left the infield--as Fullerton scored three times to take a 5-3 lead. In the sixth, with Fullerton holding an 8-4 lead, Kempton and Nelson committed a double-ugly on the same ball that contributed to a two-run rally.

With a runner at first, Craig Skyberg dumped a sacrifice bunt down the third-base line. Kempton let the ball slip through his bare hand for an error. Yet Kempton deflected the ball toward Nelson, who fired past first for another error, allowing a run to score and Skyberg to move to second.

Skyberg later scored for a 10-4 lead. Parisi gave up two runs and four hits over the final four innings to earn his first career save.

Trailing, 10-5, Northridge loaded the bases with two out in the seventh, but Parisi struck out Joey Arnold to end the threat.

“As bad as that looked--and it looked bad at times--we still had a shot,” Kernen said. “Teams just go through spells like this.”