Red-Hot Hohman Ignites Matadors’ 21-9 Rout of Aztecs

Who says replacement players are history?

Grant Hohman began Sunday afternoon with a comfy seat on the Cal State Northridge bench.

Before the ballgame was over, he had driven in five runs to lead Northridge to a 21-9 rout of San Diego State in a Western Athletic Conference game at Matador Field.

“I’m ready for anything,” said Hohman, who homered and played third base for the first time in a Matador uniform. “I just do what they tell me.”

In its best offensive performance of the season, Northridge (18-14, 5-4 in WAC play) buried San Diego State with six runs in the fourth and fifth innings and erased a 5-0 deficit.

With Northridge leading, 9-8, five different players drove in runs in the fifth, sparked by Hohman’s two-run single. An inning earlier, Hohman hit a three-run homer.

Hohman, who usually starts at second base, was benched because of a recent slump. Yet after third baseman Jason Shanahan stranded two baserunners in the first, Coach Bill Kernen put Hohman into the lineup. Shanahan hasn’t had a hit with a runner aboard in six games--a string that encompasses 31 baserunners.

“I just couldn’t stand to see it happen again,” Kernen said. “He was gonna set the NCAA record for men left on base.”

Hohman homered with the Aztecs leading, 6-4, and Northridge never trailed thereafter. A booming three-run homer by Andy Shaw in the eighth gave Northridge a season-high 21 runs.

Shaw homered three times and reached base 14 times in 17 plate appearances as Northridge won two of three in the series. Shaw has driven in 44 runs in 101 at-bats.

Right-hander Keven Kempton (2-2) allowed eight earned runs in as many innings for Northridge, which moved within striking range of first place behind the Aztecs (20-12, 7-5) and Fresno State (23-12, 7-5) in the WAC Western Division.