Fresno State Puts Brakes on Northridge Win Streak

A day after Cal Northridge circled the bases like formula cars on a speedway, Fresno State roared back and nipped the Matadors down the stretch.

The Bulldogs scored five runs in their final two at-bats to prevail, 11-8, Sunday in a Western Athletic Conference game at Matador Field and snap Northridge’s school record-tying win streak at 14.

Northridge (19-2, 5-1 in WAC play) had set an NCAA Division I record by hitting 13 home runs in a 29-3 victory Saturday, and a thoroughly embarrassed Fresno State (7-12, 1-2) came back to play as if its pride was at stake.

“I gave my team no fiery pep talk,” Fresno State Coach Bob Bennett said. “This was no time for me to beat up on them. They’d been beat up enough by Northridge.”

Fresno State nosed out Northridge at its own power game, overcoming an 8-6 deficit on a two-run opposite-field home run by pinch-hitter Derrick Levingston in the eighth and extending a 9-8 advantage in the ninth on homers by Matt Curtis and Craig da Luz.

The go-ahead run scored in the eighth when Ben Reynoso singled to score Josh Kaitfors, who had tripled.

The Matadors hit three home runs to give them 19 in the three-game series. Robert Fick hit his fifth of the series in the third and Adam Kennedy and Grant Hohman each hit two-run homers in a five-run seventh that gave Northridge the 8-6 lead.

Mark Parantala, who had allowed two home runs in one-third of an inning Saturday, struck out the side in the ninth for his first save.