Northridge Swings Its Way to Another Rollicking Victory

After eight consecutive road games followed by a wild, four-hour victory Tuesday, the last thing the Cal State Northridge baseball team wanted in Wednesday’s game against Loyola Marymount was another gut-wrenching battle.

But that’s exactly what the Matadors got in a 23-14 victory over the Lions.

For the second consecutive day, the Matadors (36-17-1) were involved in a game that featured nine home runs, and for the second consecutive day the Matadors proved their ability to stay focused and come from behind.

And score runs in bunches.

The Matadors have allowed 41 runs in their past five games, 31 in the past two, but have won all five because they have scored 90 runs, 41 in the past two.

“One of the things we’ve gotten pretty good at is staying in games for nine innings and battling the whole way,” Coach Mike Batesole said. “On days like these past two you can’t give one pitch away.”

Northridge trailed, 7-4, but Loyola Marymount (16-32) made four errors in the fourth inning and the Matadors scored 10 runs in the inning, capped by Adrian Mendoza’s grand slam. Northridge scored 11 runs in the sixth inning of Tuesday’s 18-17 victory over USC.

Terrmel Sledge and Andy Wilson each homered for the Matadors in a seven-run fifth inning that extended the lead to 21-7. Chris MacMillan, who had four hits and five runs batted in, delivered two-run singles in both the fourth and fifth innings.

“We’ve gone through a stretch of a few weeks now where we’ve had a pretty steady lineup,” Batesole said. “The guys are settling in and feeling a little more comfortable and that’s showing up on the the field.”

The Matadors, who had 20 hits against USC, racked up 22 more against seven Loyola Marymount pitchers.

Sledge, who had three home runs in a 19-10 victory over the Lions on April 9, hit two of the Matadors’ five home runs. He finished with three hits and three RBIs.

“It seems as the season goes along, different guys are clutching up every game,” said Sledge, a freshman from Kennedy High who is batting .390. “Our freshmen are not playing like freshmen.”

Matt Riordan, a freshman center fielder from Westlake High, did his best to keep Loyola Marymount in the game, hitting two home runs, two singles and driving in five runs and scoring four. The Lions had 18 hits against three Northridge pitchers.

Batesole said he approached the game with concern after the emotional victory over USC in which Mendoza hit a game-winning home run in the 10th inning.

“A lot of things involved with [Tuesday’s] game could have taken us out of this one,” Batesole said. “But to be sitting where we’re sitting is something pretty special.”