Crabtree, Ramirez Can’t Do It Alone

Robert Crabtree was the one on the mound for Cal State Northridge when UC Santa Barbara’s Lou Tapia drove in the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the ninth to give the Gauchos a 10-9 nonconference victory Friday.

And Crabtree was the one who took refuge from reporters in the bullpen after the game.

But he was not the one to blame for the loss.

Northridge (20-4) fell into a 7-2 hole early because of another shaky outing from No. 3 starter Jason Cole, who was charged with seven runs in two-plus innings.

Northridge Coach Mike Batesole had planned to go with Cole and use top pitchers Erasmo Ramirez and Crabtree for two innings each. He wanted to save his aces for next week’s critical Western Athletic Conference games against Hawaii and San Diego State.

But Cole, who also pitched poorly in a loss to Fresno State on Sunday, didn’t get the Matadors off to a good start in a three-game series against Santa Barbara (16-5), a team Northridge might need to beat out for an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament.

“We need some of the other guys to step up,” Northridge third baseman Eric Gillespie said. “We need more than just Erasmo and Crabtree. You can’t win a championship with just two pitchers.”

Still, thanks in large part to Gillespie, the Matadors looked like they might rescue the day.

Gillespie, who had three hits and and four runs batted in, led off the fourth with his ninth home run, pulling Northridge to within 7-3.

With Santa Barbara ahead, 8-4, Northridge scored five times in the top of the seventh, with Gillespie driving in two runs with a single, Jeremy Conrad driving in the tying run with a sacrifice bunt and Jose Miranda singling home the go-ahead run.

Ramirez pitched two perfect innings and Crabtree (7-1) worked a perfect eighth, then it got interesting again.

Brett Hardy led off the Santa Barbara ninth with a single past shortstop Adam Kennedy. After a groundout, Crabtree pitched carefully to Wynter Phoenix, one of the top professional prospects in Southern California, and walked him.

That brought up Tapia, who played at Notre Dame High and Pierce College. Tapia drilled Crabtree’s 1-and-1 pitch just inside the right-field line, and the double easily scored both runners.

Batesole said he didn’t see anything that would indicate Crabtree was less than his best in the ninth.

“He was throwing the ball great,” Batesole said. “You’ve just got to give credit to the other team.”

Said Gillespie: “You always feel good when Crabtree is in the game. But I guess he has to give up hits once in a while.”

Santa Barbara’s Jorvic Salazar (2-2), from Crespi High, pitched a final two scoreless innings.

Ryan Kritscher, the Gauchos’ second-leading hitter from Thousand Oaks High, missed the game and is doubtful for the series because of a sprained right ankle.