CSUN Still Can’t Bring Itself to Pull Rank in 5-4 Defeat

Cal State Northridge Coach Bill Kernen keeps repeating the same sales pitch, over and over. Stop thinking trailer park in the boonies. Start thinking chateau on the French Riviera.

But that’s the thing about the high-rent district. Sometimes, the payments are brutal.

“We have to believe we belong in the same neighborhood (as our competition),” Kernen said. “Man, we’ve bought a house already.”

Northridge again came close to knocking off one of the nation’s best teams in the first round of the Florida Gator Slug-Fest on Friday, but failed to hold a pair of one-run leads and lost to sixth-ranked Oklahoma State, 5-4.

Call it the latest installment of the not-quite-ready-for-prime-time Matadors. But the margin is getting smaller by the day.

Northridge (4-7) lost its fourth consecutive game to a team ranked 13th or higher in the national polls. Pricey digs, to be sure, but Northridge has played in three consecutive NCAA Division I regionals, so Kernen says it’s time the players believe they own the penthouse deed, not a lease.

“This is where we live,” he said.

And living on the edge, as usual. The Matadors have played in six one-run games, winning two. Kernen said it should never have come to that against the Cowboys, Big 8 Conference champions since 1981.

Starting pitcher Marco Contreras couldn’t throw the ball between the backstop poles early, but recovered in time to keep the Matadors in the game. In the second inning, Contreras walked four batters and threw 39 pitches as Oklahoma State (7-1) scored twice on one hit to take a 2-0 lead.

Thereafter, he walked . . . zero.

“That’s the tough thing about being a pitcher,” said Contreras, who allowed seven hits and struck out four in eight innings. “Now I’ve got to live with this for whole ‘nother week.”

Contreras (1-3) said he felt stronger as the game progressed, and it showed. The offense couldn’t say the same.

The Matadors managed one hit after the fifth inning against right-handers Jason Bell (3-0) and Rob Gaiko.

Gaiko, a right-hander who throws side-arm, pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his first save, but he shed a few beads of perspiration. Kevin Howard opened the inning by reaching first on shortstop Beau Champoux’s throwing error.

Gaiko, though, chalked up Eric Gillespie on a called third strike and retired Jason Shanahan on a fly to left. Tyler Nelson, who had reached base nine times over the past three games and singled once in his first three at-bats, took a called third strike on an 0-and-2 pitch to end it.

“We rolled four zeros at the end,” Nelson said. “The offense only played half a game. Marco pitched well enough to win.”

Trailing, 2-0, in the fourth, the Matadors took advantage of another error by Champoux and scored three times. Joey Arnold doubled and with one out, scored from third on a grounder by Keyaan Cook that Champoux threw away at first. Gillespie followed with a two-run homer over the scoreboard in right-center for a 3-2 lead.

It didn’t last long. Roberto Lopez, who earlier this season broke an Oklahoma State record with hits in 10 consecutive at-bats, beat out a bunt. Lopez, who was born in Puerto Rico, stole second base.

The throw by Northridge catcher Josh Smaler was on the bag at second, but shortstop Chad Thornhill didn’t glove it. Lopez bolted for third as Jake Benz grounded to the right side and didn’t so much as slow down while rounding third. After Shanahan flipped to Contreras covering at first for a 3-1 putout, Lopez beat the throw home to tie the score, 3-3.

Northridge took a 4-3 lead in the fifth when Nelson scored on a groundout by Arnold, but again, it didn’t last.

No sooner had it been announced that Contreras was preparing to throw his 100th pitch than did outfielder Peter Prodanov hit it 100-and-some yards over the fence in left to tie it, 4-4.

It was tied until the seventh, when Benz stepped in to lead off.

“I hadn’t swung at the first pitch any of the other times up,” he said. “I guess I gave them the impression that I always take the first pitch.”

He took it, all right. Right over the fence in right-center for a game-winning homer.