Nothing Is Really Something for Matadors : College softball: Northridge posts another shutout with 9-0 victory over Fullerton in second round of regional playoffs.

Mercy, this Cal State Northridge softball team means business.

Northridge collected 12 hits, including two home runs, to fuel a 9-0 five-inning victory over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Division I regional playoffs.

It is the Matadors’ third consecutive victory in which the game ended because of a mercy rule.

Northridge beat Cal State Sacramento, 10-0, in five innings in its final regular season game to clinch its second consecutive Western Athletic Conference title. In their regional opener Friday, the Matadors pounded Maine, 8-0, in five innings.

The third-ranked Matadors (48-7), who fizzled in postseason play last season, are definitely peaking at the right time. Northridge has hit seven home runs in the last five games and 32 hits in the last three games.

And seven of the last eight Matador victories have come by shutout.

Is this as good as it gets? Not according to second baseman Tamara Ivie.

“I think we can play better than this,” said Ivie, who went three for three against Fullerton. “I think we have the potential to score runs every inning.

“Everybody’s hitting now and that’s what we need going into the World Series.”

To earn its second berth in the College World Series at Oklahoma City, Northridge will have to beat Fullerton one more time. And they’ll have two chances to do it if need be. Today’s championship game in the double-elimination tournament begins at 12:30 p.m. If necessary, a second game will be played immediately.

Fullerton (34-28) beat Washington, 4-0, in the late game Saturday to advance to the championship round.

The victory over Washington helped ease the pain for the Titans, who were overpowered by the hard-hitting Matadors just a few hours earlier.

Northridge leadoff batter Terri Pearson ripped the first pitch of the game at second baseman Monica Bagalayos, who seemed a bit surprised by the hard-hit grounder and booted it.

After Beth Calcante’s sacrifice moved Pearson to second, Ivie hit a bouncer up the middle that shortstop Traci Fischer fielded with a dive. Fischer jumped to her feet, but threw late to first base, while Pearson came around and scored on a slide under the tag of catcher Shannon Dolan.

Ivie went on to second, beating Dolan’s throw. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Ivie scored on Scia Maumausolo’s line single to left-center and the Matadors were off to the races.

“When the ball explodes off the bat like that in the first inning, it just sets a tone,” Fullerton Coach Judi Garman said. “We never got on track and we couldn’t stop them. They were like a runaway train.

“It didn’t seem to matter what we threw. They were clobbering it.”

Northridge got at least one hit in each inning and scored in all but the second.

Calcante ripped the 32nd home run of her career to lead off the third. Five batters later, senior Kelly Hunt hit her first home run as a Matador, a three-run shot that gave Northridge a 6-0 lead.

For Hunt, who played three seasons at Fullerton before transferring to Northridge last fall, the home run against her old teammates was extra sweet.

“It gives me a chance to say that I went on and that I’m working hard and trying my best to be successful,” said Hunt, who went two for three.

Senior right-hander Amy Windmiller (23-2), who pitched a no-hitter against Fullerton in the teams’ last meeting, finished with a three-hitter and struck out three.