Cal Lutheran Finishes Two Long Steps Short

Baseball coaches from Cal State Northridge and Cal Lutheran spend the off-season in a ferocious battle for recruits from area high schools and junior colleges.

On Friday they took the battle to the field and the Kingsmen didn’t put up much of a fight in a 10-0 rout by the host Matadors.

Northridge (31-6), ranked No. 5 by Collegiate Baseball, has won nine consecutive games.

The Kingsmen (19-6-1), ranked No. 2 in Division III, are 0-3 against Division I teams and have been outscored, 42-6, in those games.

Robby Crabtree (11-1) allowed Cal Lutheran only three hits and one walk while striking out five in five innings.

Although Crabtree allowed runners in each of the first three innings, Kingsmen baserunning mistakes and a double play allowed him to face the minimum of 12 batters through four innings.

In fact, three Matador pitchers faced only 32 batters--five over the minimum--as they limited the Kingsmen to four hits. Only three Cal Lutheran runners advanced past first base.

“This really showed the quality of our depth,” said Matador Coach Mike Batesole, who used 15 players. “Crabtree was sharp and [Brandon] Nickens looked as good as he has all year.”

Nickens struck out two and walked one while pitching two hitless innings. Benny Flores allowed one hit over the last two innings for the Matadors.

Northridge broke the game open in the third inning with a four-run burst highlighted by David Stevenson’s run-scoring single and Adam Kennedy’s sacrifice fly that scored Ryan Hurd and gave the Matadors a 7-0 lead against Cal Lutheran starter Richard Bell (6-1).

Bell allowed eight runs on seven hits and four walks in four innings.

Four Northridge runs, including three in the third, were unearned.

“That’s a lot of runs to give Northridge,” Cal Lutheran Coach Marty Slimak said. “When the defense isn’t making plays we could be in trouble. We’re not the type of team to be kicking around the ball and get away with it.”

The Kingsmen also hurt themselves on the basepaths.

Matador catcher Robert Fick caught Rik Work napping at second base with two out in the first inning and Crabtree picked off Mitch Brim at first base with one out in the second.

Kennedy, who had three hits for Northridge and scored three runs and drove in a run, led off the first inning with a single and scored four batters later on a throwing error by Cal Lutheran shortstop Brim with two out.

Casey Cheshier had two hits for Northridge, including a two-out bases-empty home run in the fourth inning--his fifth--that increased the Matadors’ lead to 8-0.

Fick had two hits while Ryan Hurd extended his hitting streak to nine games by leading off the seventh with a triple.