CSUN Puts Huge Foot on Breaks : College baseball: Things go Matadors’ way in 10-7 victory over Cal State Sacramento as Najar survives shaky sixth.

Somebody grab a thesaurus. These Cal State Northridge guys need to expand their vocabularies.

Pitcher John Najar called it “big.”

Coach Bill Kernen called it “huge.”

Not incorrect, but a bit understated. The proper term should have been gigantic.

Najar took advantage of a crucial break Saturday as Northridge held on to defeat Cal State Sacramento, 10-7, in a Western Athletic Conference game at Hornet Field.

One of baseball’s enduring truisms is that the home team usually gets the breaks, but don’t try to sell that one to the Hornets (12-11, 2-3 in the WAC).

The biggest break came in the bottom of the sixth, with Northridge (15-11, 4-1) holding a 6-2 lead. Najar gave up a single and a walk to put runners at first and second with none out.

Cleanup hitter Josh Kirtlan, who hit a game-winning homer Friday and another in the ninth on Saturday, surprised everyone by attempting a bunt down the third-base line. The ball rolled foul, but Kirtlan didn’t get another swing.

He was ruled to have stepped across the plate and out of the batter’s box. Northridge catcher Josh Smaler was credited with the easiest putout of his career.

“That was real big right there,” Najar said. “I threw him a changeup away and I guess it looked so fat he wanted to go out and get it. He’s probably their best hitter.”

Najar (5-2) hit Jason Beeman to load the bases, but managed to retire the next two batters on grounders. Instead of a disastrous inning, only one run scored and Sacramento closed to 6-3.

“That was a huge break,” Kernen said. “We’ve had some funny stuff happen to us this year. I’d like to think we had a few coming.”

Another cost Sacramento a run and a third, which didn’t factor into the scoring, caused several red faces.

In the eighth, a single by Chad Thornhill drove in Jonathan Campbell to give Northridge an 8-3 lead and sent Eric Gillespie to third. Thornhill then stole second.

With one out and first base open, Sacramento elected to intentionally walk the red-hot Jason Shanahan, who had driven in at least one run in each of the previous 10 games.

Shanahan’s streak was snapped, though perhaps he deserved an asterisk. After pitcher Toby Rodgers delivered ball three, catcher Jason Quintel fired the ball into center field for an error, allowing Gillespie to score for a 9-3 lead.

The play loomed larger when Najar began tiring in the late innings. In the eighth, he gave up a three-run double to Derek Brown and the Hornets cut the lead to 9-6.

“Things have been rolling our way for a while,” said Gillespie, who had three hits. “The big plays have been turning out in our favor.”

Not to mention the monstrous, titanic and humongous ones.