Jittery Windmiller Shows Her Nerve in Fresno : College softball: She settles down and finally beats Bulldogs to give Northridge split, 3-1.

That pesky monkey that rode the back of Cal State Northridge ace Amy Windmiller through three losses to Fresno State last season is dead.

Windmiller, a senior right-hander who left Fresno State after her freshman season, buried that burden by throwing a four-hitter to help Northridge salvage a split Saturday against Fresno State in a Western Athletic Conference doubleheader in front of 1,246.

Sixth-ranked Northridge lost the opener, 5-2, before bouncing back for a 3-1 victory behind Windmiller.

Windmiller (14-1), who was 0-3 against the Bulldogs last season, shook off the nerves that plagued her performances a year ago. After a shaky first inning in which she surrendered three hits and the first earned run against her in 68 innings, Windmiller was all business.

“I knew going in that they were gonna hit the ball,” Windmiller said. “But, I knew if we could get out of (the first) inning the defense would take care of it after that.”

Actually, Windmiller took care of it, allowing only one hit in the final six innings.

By the time she was finished, she even had a dozen young Fresno fans eating out of her hand, asking for her autograph after the game. After all, she was the first pitcher to beat the fifth-ranked Bulldogs at Fresno in 15 games this season.

“Do you always look mean?” asked one young fan who was waiting to get Windmiller’s autograph. The question prompted a smile from the shy Windmiller, and the little girl had her answer.

There was little to smile about, however, in the first game for the Matadors.

Fresno State (26-9, 7-1 in conference), eager to avenge its 1992 regional playoff loss to the Matadors, came out swinging against Northridge starter Kathy Blake.

The Bulldogs bunched four hits and scored three runs in the first inning for a 3-1 lead. Kim Maher, a Buena High graduate who hurt the Matadors all day, drove in two runs with a double in her first at-bat. Maher went four for six with two doubles and three runs batted in.

Fresno State, which pounded nine hits off Blake (9-4), added runs in the second and fourth innings for a 5-1 lead.

Northridge (26-5, 5-1), which continued to make mistakes on the basepaths, scattered eight hits, never grouping more than two hits in an inning.

The Matadors squared the nightcap, 1-1, on a RBI single by Beth Calcante in the third and took control in the fifth.

With bases loaded, Calcante hit a fly ball to right. Vicky Rios tagged at third and hurdled catcher Christa Yorke, who appeared to make the tag. But umpire Bruce Lankford signaled safe, bringing Fresno State Coach Margie Wright out of the dugout for a few choice words to Lankford.

Tamara Ivie followed with a suicide squeeze, but Terri Pearson was out at the plate. Ivie was hung up in a rundown trying to reach second, but second baseman Randi Berg made an errant throw and Jen Fleming scored for a 3-1 lead.

And the Matadors were happy to go home with a split.