CSUN in Downhill Battle

As far as Cal State Northridge was concerned, the sprinklers that halted play for a few minutes during the fourth inning should have stayed on long enough to wash out the game.

No such luck for the Matadors, who did a slip-and-slide routine all over Sunken Diamond in a 10-5 loss to Stanford on Thursday night before 3,364 in a NCAA West Regional opener.

What started so promising ended dismally for Northridge (49-17). Adam Kennedy hit the first pitch for a home run, but from that dizzying moment the Matadors went downhill at breakneck speed.

The NCAA did the Matadors no favor in pairing them against Stanford, which notched its 17th consecutive victory. But they did themselves no favors either, playing shoddy defense, squandering opportunities, and finally, blowing their cool.

Catcher Robert Fick and Coach Mike Batesole were ejected in the seventh inning with Northridge trailing, 9-3.

Fick and plate umpire Ken Eldridge exchanged words, after which Fick simply walked to the dugout and took off his gear. Batesole was ejected for questioning Fick’s ejection.

“I was a little surprised that he would eject me when I didn’t even raise my voice,” Batesole said.

“This turned out a little different than I expected it to turn out.”

Stanford (40-17) snapped a 1-1 tie with four runs in the fourth inning and scored four more in the sixth to take a 9-1 lead.

Northridge countered with two in the seventh, but left the bases loaded when a line drive by Kurt Airoso was stabbed by third baseman Troy Kent.

Only three of eight runs given up by Northridge right-hander Robert Crabtree (13-8) in 5 1/3 innings were earned.

A misplay on a double-play ground ball by second baseman Cesar Martinez and a throwing error by Kennedy set up a run-scoring single by Jody Gerut and a two-run triple by A.J. Hinch.

Stanford’s rally in the sixth began with an error by Martinez. Two batters later, the second baseman made a throwing error trying to convert a double play. Luke Quaccia tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Kent.

“I was embarrassed by our level of play,” Kennedy said.

Despite the ejections and the deficit, the Matadors kept swinging.

They knocked out Kyle Peterson (10-5), national freshman of the year last season, in the seventh when singles by Kennedy, Jose Miranda and Grant Hohman generated two runs.

Two runs were added in the eighth on a single by Casey Cheshier and consecutive doubles by Ryan Hurd and Kennedy. Kennedy, zero for 13 last week in three games against Santa Clara, had three hits, and Hurd, zero for 10 in the same series, had two doubles and scored twice.

Northridge hit in bad luck early. A shot by Airoso was flagged down in left field with two out and two on in the first, and a liner to second base by Kennedy left Hurd in scoring position in the second.

Fick’s drive to right-center field in the third was caught on a full-length dive by Gerut, the center fielder.

Northridge had 10 hits, but could not overcome Stanford’s 14 hits and the Matadors’ three errors.

Jon Schaeffer, Stanford’s sophomore designated hitter from Harvard-Westlake High, had three hits and was hit by a pitch.

Gerut, Quaccia, Brian Dallimore and Chris Clark each added two hits for the Cardinal.