Conference Sweep Shows CSUN Still Means Business

With its shot at a fourth consecutive Western Athletic Conference softball title in serious jeopardy, Cal State Northridge took care of business Saturday to remain in contention.

But it was far from easy. The Matadors squeaked out a pair of 3-2 victories in a doubleheader sweep of slumping Utah.

With two weeks left in the season, Northridge (38-11, 17-4 in conference play) remains 2 1/2 games behind first-place Fresno State (43-7, 19-1), which swept Colorado State and New Mexico this weekend.

Utah (21-22, 8-7), loser of five of its last six, has been all but eliminated from title contention--and maybe more.

“We really shot ourselves in the foot [this weekend],” said Utah Coach Jo Evans, whose Utes lost twice to San Diego State on Friday. “Not only do we take ourselves out of the WAC running, but we’ve taken ourselves out of postseason play as well.”

Sixth-ranked Northridge, however, is alive and well, with its sights on an automatic bid to the NCAA regionals. Clutch defense and home runs by Chelo Lopez and Scia Maumausolo led the Matadors, who play Utah again today at 10 a.m. in a makeup game.

In the first game, the Matadors took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run home run by Lopez, her eighth.

“I got all of it,” Lopez said. “It was one of those hits when you hit it, you know it’s gone.”

After Utah closed to 2-1 on a single by Cyndee Bennett in the third, Maumausolo hit her 15th home run with one out in the third, tying the school record for home runs in a season she set last year.

Senior right-hander Jen Richardson (20-5), who allowed nine hits and three walks, found herself in trouble often against the Utes but managed to escape.

The Utes, who stranded eight runners, loaded the bases with none out in the fourth, and had runners at second and third and one out in the sixth, but came away empty each inning.

In the seventh, Tammy Beer scored on a single by Stacie Reynolds to cut the lead to 3-2, but with a runner on first and two out, third baseman Kelly Toovey snagged Bennett’s line drive for the third out.

In the second game, freshman right-hander Tara Glaister (18-6) pitched a four-hitter with 10 strikeouts.

Karen Bono hit a solo home run in the second to give Utah a 1-0 lead. Northridge responded in the third, with Julie Sessler scoring on an error.

After Utah scored in the fourth for a 2-1 lead, Northridge loaded the bases with none out in the fourth and scored twice on groundouts by Lopez and Richardson.

Matador Jamie Herrington went three for three in the second game.