Mighty Casey Strikes Back

For Cal State Northridge, Saturday’s 20-4 and 14-3 sweep of Sacramento State at Matador Diamond was just its latest assault on Division I pitching.

But for Casey Chesier, perhaps it was a day of redemption.

The slumping Chesier was moved from the No. 4 spot to the bottom of the batting order before the doubleheader.

Four innings into the first game, the former cleanup man exploded.

And so did Northridge. The Matadors (11-4-1) scored nine runs in the fourth and eight in the fifth.

Chesier keyed the Matador fourth by hitting a two-run home run in his first at-bat and following with an RBI-double. Jose Miranda hit a grand slam in the fourth, in which Northridge sent 13 batters to the plate.

Chesier wasn’t through.

With the bases loaded in the fifth, the sophomore cleared them with a double to the right-center field gap. He finished with three hits and six RBIs.

“This game’s weird,” said Chesier, who had seen his batting average drop from over .300 to .244. “You’ll be cold as ice one second and you can get hot the next. I hope it stays this way for awhile.”

Chesier had an RBI double in the second game, giving him four hits and seven RBIs in six at-bats, and Northridge continued to endanger the safety of opposing pitchers.

Hornet starter Graham Mazur (1-1) saw his 3.68 earned-run average balloon after yielding 11 earned runs in 3 2/3 innings in the opener. Mark Rodriguez (4.34 ERA) met the same fate in the second game. He allowed eight runs in three innings.

Rodriguez (0-2) faced five batters without retiring anybody in the fourth inning, in which the Matadors again batted around.

This time they scored 11 runs against three pitchers. Adrian Mendoza, Terrmel Sledge and Brian Wagner (a three-run shot) hit home runs, leaving the Hornets (5-9) shellshocked.

“I think we made [Sacramento State] quit,” Chesier said. “Throwing up 17 runs in back-to-back innings will break any team.”

The Matadors, who average 9.5 runs and 12 hits per game, totaled 29 hits. Pitchers Nathan Rice (2-0), who won the opener, and Benito Flores (3-1) were the beneficiaries.

“This place is a launching pad,” said Hornet first baseman Billy Hoover, a sophomore from Calabasas High who went 0 for 4.

Northridge hit six home runs and lifted its batting average 15 points to .346. Adam Kennedy had seven hits and four RBIs and Sledge was five for six with five RBIs.