CSUN Has Answers

Answer back, a term used by Cal State Northridge all season, never was more appropriate than in the Matadors’ 23-15 victory over Brigham Young on Saturday.

The Matadors answered a one-run loss a day earlier by leading from start to finish to win the best-of-three series and the Western Athletic Conference baseball championship.

They answered WAC administrators who voted them out of the conference beginning next school year by winning the title. And they said so long by dialing long distance, hitting eight home runs in the game and 18 in the series.

The Matadors answered the WAC coaches who last week snubbed Mike Batesole in coach of the year voting.

Following the 4-hour 3-minute slugfest, Batesole displayed a wide grin as he triumphantly held the championship trophy over his head while his players mobbed him.

Robert Fick answered back for having to share the WAC player of the year award with San Diego State’s Travis Lee by being named the tournament MVP in a unanimous vote of eight sportswriters.

Fick hit two home runs, two doubles and drove in four runs in the finale. The junior catcher set WAC tournament records with 12 hits and 15 runs batted in, and tied records with five home runs and three doubles.

Adam Kennedy answered back for being left off the All-WAC first team. The Northridge shortstop fielded nine chances flawlessly, had three hits and scored three runs. Kennedy was 11 for 22 in the series, scoring nine runs and driving in four.

Grant Hohman answered back most dramatically, opening the Northridge scoring with a monstrous three-run home run with two out in the first inning after having struck out four times Friday. Hohman also homered in the fourth inning, doubled and drove in five runs.

Erasmo Ramirez provided the final answer, shutting down powerful BYU the last 1 1/3 innings two days after being shelled for eight runs in less than two innings.

“It’s a principle our team is built on, to answer back from adversity,” Batesole said. “That’s why I didn’t bench Hohman after he struck out four times. That’s why I went back to Erasmo.

“This was 30 guys pulling on the same end of the rope as hard as they could.

“I thank God every single night that I am part of this deal and part of what these guys are doing.”

Pitchers are thankful this series is over. The teams combined for 101 runs, 120 hits, 25 home runs and 21 doubles. Those marks represent four of 18 WAC championship series records set. The other 14 are WAC championship records set by Northridge.

Northridge (47-15), which set a school record for victories, scored in 22 of 27 innings. BYU (38-19) scored in 19 innings.

The offensive display made the five innings of relief pitching by Gary Stephenson (4-2) seem like a Cy Young Award performance. The junior right-hander allowed nine hits and five runs, but kept BYU from exploding.

Northridge took a 10-1 lead in the top of the second, but BYU answered with six runs with two out in the second against left-hander Benito Flores. Each team scored two in the third and the Matadors broke out with six in the fourth for an 18-9 lead.

Ryan Hurd added two home runs for Northridge. David Stevenson and Cesar Martinez each hit one.

“Our right-handed hitters showed up today,” said Fick, the only left-handed hitter among those who homered. “Everybody showed up today.”

Fick had four of Northridge’s 23 hits, and Kennedy, Kurt Airoso, Hohman and Martinez each had three. BYU had 21 hits.

“I’ve never, ever seen hitting like this,” Stephenson said. “I didn’t let it get to me when they hit me hard. I just wanted to avoid giving up the big inning.”

Matador Notes

Northridge will play Santa Clara, the West Coast Conference champion, in a three-game series with the winner gaining an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I tournament. The teams play one game Friday and a doubleheader Saturday. . . . Matador center fielder Kurt Airoso set a WAC tournament record by scoring 11 runs. . . . Northridge’s 18 home runs doubled the former WAC tournament record. . . . Adam Kennedy set Northridge single-season records with 107 hits and 83 runs.