Northridge Errs, Coach Is Humane

Not only was it ugly, it was long and ugly, a 3-hour 45-minute marathon of mistakes that severed Cal State Northridge’s 11-game winning streak.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo overcame a three-run deficit by knocking around Matador ace Robert Crabtree and won, 11-8, Friday in a Western Athletic Conference game at Matador Field.

Northridge (33-7, 12-3 in WAC play) made four errors and two glaring mental mistakes, and left the field braced for a berating from Coach Mike Batesole.

It never came.

Batesole said, “See you tomorrow morning at 10:30,” and left the clubhouse.

“These guys have earned some things,” Batesole said. “They won 11 in a row, for God’s sake. There is no reason for me to jump all over them.”

Cal Poly (16-16, 7-9) jumped all over Crabtree (11-2), who entered the game with a 2.26 earned-run average.

Taber Maier opened the game with a home run, and after Brent Mitchell singled, Jon Macalutas homered to give the Mustangs a 3-0 lead.

Northridge answered with six in the second and it appeared the Matadors would score their usual bushel of runs and improve on a stellar home record of 20-2.

But Cal scored single runs in the third and fifth before chasing Crabtree with six in the seventh when Ryan Brennan and Jeff Marston hit home runs.

Crabtree allowed 12 hits and five walks in 6 1/3 innings and left trailing, 11-7.

“What killed me was falling behind early in the count,” Crabtree said. “I take the blame for the whole game.”

Left-hander Chad Snowden shut out Northridge over the final 2 1/3 innings, getting Adam Kennedy to pop up with two out and the bases loaded in the seventh.

Northridge hammered Matt Atterberry (5-3) in the second, but the Mustang right-hander allowed only two more runs before leaving in the seventh.

Grant Hohman homered to lead off the Northridge second, and David Stevenson doubled to score Jose Miranda and Casey Cheshier with one out. Ryan Hurd singled to score Stevenson, Kennedy tripled to score Hurd and Kennedy scored on a grounder by Eric Gillespie.

Matador Notes

Cal Poly right fielder Rob Neal, formerly of Westlake High, injured his nose in a freak accident in the third inning. Returning to the dugout after being forced out at second base, Neal was struck by an errant throw from Matador first baseman Casey Cheshier. Neal left the game but said he might play today. . . . Northridge second baseman Grant Hohman was hit on the nose by a pitch from Matt Atterberry in the fourth inning but remained in the game.