CSUN Cleans Up Its Act, 18-1

It was as cleansing and invigorating as being hosed off after slopping in mud.

Cal State Northridge wiped away the memory of a humiliating loss to Stanford by dominating Northeastern Illinois, 18-1, Friday in the NCAA West Regional before 641 at Sunken Diamond.

The Matadors (50-17) lit up the scoreboard the way they have most of the season, banging four home runs, a triple and two doubles among 19 hits. They scored in every at-bat but two and extended an 8-0 lead with an eight-run explosion in the seventh.

Quite a turnaround from the 10-5 loss to Stanford that included three Matador errors, two ejections and several mental errors.

“I’d never been embarrassed with this team and after that game I wanted to throw up,” third baseman Eric Gillespie said. “To come back after something that ugly, it was great for everybody to feel relaxed at the plate and on defense. We needed this to gain some momentum.”

The Matadors, 1-1 in the double-elimination tournament, will face Mississippi State today at 3 p.m. and will play again at 7 p.m. if they win. Northridge also would have to sweep a doubleheader Sunday to advance to the College World Series.

With such a daunting schedule ahead, the performance of right-hander Jason Cole was perhaps the most-encouraging aspect of the victory over Northeastern Illinois.

Cole (3-0), a junior transfer from El Camino College, pitched his first complete game, allowing six hits and walking one. Starting Cole, who came into the game with an earned-run average of 4.81 in 39 1/3 innings, was a calculated risk the Matadors felt they had to take.

“We had to roll the dice today and Cole came through,” Coach Mike Batesole said. “Now our pitching is in good shape.”

Pitching coach Dan Cowgill informed Cole about one hour before game time that he would start.

“I didn’t have time to get nervous,” Cole said. “He told me to go three or four innings, but every inning he said, ‘Keep going, keep going.’ In the seventh, he told me to finish it.”

Cole needed only 93 pitches, 60 of which were strikes, to dispatch Northeastern Illinois, the first team to be eliminated. Cole had the Golden Eagles (31-29) beating his changeup into the ground, and Gillespie made several good plays.

Northridge beat up on five Northeastern Illinois pitchers. Gillespie, Adam Kennedy and Robert Fick did the bulk of the damage.

Gillespie hit two home runs, giving him 23 this season, doubled and drove in five runs. Kennedy hit a grand slam in the seventh, his second home run of the regional and 16th of the season. He also tripled and singled twice.

Fick had four hits, including a double, and drove in runs in the first and third innings.

Casey Cheshier homered and Ryan Hurd was two for two with three runs and two runs batted in. Hurd, the No. 9 batter, has scored five runs in the two games.

In the past two weeks, Northridge lost its opener in a best-of-three series against Santa Clara before winning two, and lost one in a best-of-three series against Brigham Young before winning.

Said Fick: “We’ve been in this position each of the last two weeks and come through it, so we have the confidence we can do it again.”

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Matador Notes

Adam Kennedy is seven for 11 with seven runs batted in and five runs scored. The Matador shortstop has homered twice, tripled and doubled. . . . Left fielder Ryan Hurd, who like Kennedy is from J.W. North High in Riverside, is four for six and has scored five runs.