Seven Pitchers Can’t Make CSUN Lucky : College baseball: UCLA beats Matadors’ bullpen by committee, 6-5.

From complete games to complete frames?

Cal State Northridge, which historically has ranked among NCAA Division I leaders in complete games, tried a different approach.

A radical change, in fact.

Against UCLA on Tuesday night, each of the first five Matador pitchers threw one inning, then departed. The school where guys sometimes throw 150 pitches went instead by committee, using seven pitchers.

Reason: Northridge must play three doubleheaders in as many days starting Friday against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

The staff held together well before Northridge fell, 4-3, in the bottom of the 11th in a nonconference game at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

The trouble was, the Northridge offense did things one inning at a time too, and the team fell below .500 for the first time. That is, the Matadors (19-20) did everything in one inning. Other than the four hits Northridge managed in the sixth, the team was completely shut down.

“Most games, this kind of pitching is good enough to win,” Northridge Coach Bill Kernen said. “What did they throw, nine, 10 innings of no-hit ball?”

Bingo. While Kernen was trotting out a pitcher an inning, the offense was rolling along in fast fashion: Northridge was retired in order in the seventh through 11th innings. Left-hander Nick St. George (3-0) relieved in the eighth and pitched four perfect innings.

UCLA (23-17) finally scratched out a run in the 11th in less than traditional fashion. Gar Vallone opened the inning with a double off of Juan Velazquez (1-1) but was thrown out at third on a poor bunt by Jon Heinrichs.

Heinrichs swiped second base and Zak Ammirato walked. Mike Seal forced Ammirato at second on a groundout to put runners on the corners with two out.

Chad Matoian sent a chopper to the left side that third baseman Jason Shanahan was unable to glove on a wet field. The ball skidded under his glove and Heinrichs scored the winning run.

Entering the sixth, Northridge had been held hitless by three UCLA pitchers, but catcher Robert Fick led off the inning with a double to left off Jeff Howatt, a junior from Rio Mesa High.

After a groundout, five of the next six batters reached base as Northridge rallied to tie, 3-3. Grant Hohman and Jonathan Campbell each contributed two-out, run-scoring singles.

Left-handers Ryan Lynch and Thomas Jacquez each pitched two hitless innings to open the game as UCLA jumped to a 3-0 lead, though the Northridge pitching wasn’t much worse.

Starter Keven Kempton and relievers Erasmo Ramirez and Evan Howland each pitched an inning, allowing a run apiece. Right-handers Aaron D’Aoust and Jason Vargas retired the side in order in the fourth and fifth, respectively, to keep Northridge in the game.

Freshman left-hander Benny Flores pitched two innings of one-hit ball before giving way to Velazquez in the eighth.