Northridge Shakes Batting Slump Against Florida, 7-1

Cal State Northridge collected a season-high 14 hits, including four for extra bases, to defeat Florida, 7-1, in the Cal State Fullerton softball tournament Thursday.

Northridge and second-ranked Fresno State (23-3) were tied, 1-1, after six innings in Thursday’s late game.

Six Matadors had multiple hits against Florida (22-18).

It was a far different Northridge team at the plate than in recent games. The Matadors entered the game with a .244 batting average, but hit .412 against the Gators.

Cheri Shinn, who went three for four, led off the first inning with a double to left. Three batters later, Jennifer Parker’s liner to left scored Shinn for a 1-0 lead. Parker later scored on Elizabeth Sanches’ single.

Northridge added a run in the second when Jodi Borenstein doubled and scored on Parker’s ground ball up the middle.

Shinn (6-4), a junior right-hander who allowed nine hits and struck out three, surrendered her first hit in the third.

After Shinn retired the first two batters, the Gators strung together three consecutive singles to score Amy Criswell, cutting Northridge’s lead to 3-1.

The Matadors sent nine batters to the plate in the fifth. Sanches hit her third home run of the season with one out for a 4-1 lead.

Later, Kelly Toovey scored on a bases-loaded walk and Borenstein scored on Chelo Lopez’s single to left.

Northridge scored its final run in the sixth.

Tracy Gallian led off with a double to the right-center field gap. Relief pitcher Beth Dieter, who came on in the second, retired the next two batters on a fly to center and a strikeout. But Kelly Toovey reached base on a fielding error and Jamie Herrington, pinch running for Gallian, scored.

Although the Matadors were in command throughout, they failed to take advantage of their 14 hits.

Northridge left the bases loaded three times and stranded 14 runners, including nine is scoring position.