Oregon State Pulls Plug on Northridge

Oregon State reigned over Cal State Northridge’s hit parade Saturday afternoon, beating the host Matadors, 4-0, in a round-robin softball tournament game called after five innings because of a 90-minute time limit.

After scoring 16 runs on 15 hits in nine innings against two teams earlier Saturday, Northridge found itself all wet and running on empty by day’s end.

The Matadors (2-1), ranked No. 15 nationally, had only three hits against unranked Oregon State and failed to advance a runner beyond first until the final inning.

Sophomore right-hander Brooke Hofstetter used a mixture of off-speed and down-and-away pitches to keep Northridge batters guessing.

“We never adjusted at the plate to what she was throwing,” Northridge Coach Janet Sherman said. “She’s throwing down and out and we’re beating balls way out in front of us and we’re never letting the ball come to the plate. We chased balls, we took strike three with runners in scoring position.”

Unfortunately for the Matadors, offense was not their only problem against Oregon State (2-0), which started three players from the region.

Northridge ace Tara Glaister, who has won 44 games in two seasons, endured one of the worst innings in her career. In her season debut, Glaister spotted the Beavers two runs on three walks and two wild pitches in the first inning.

“Tara’s got to pitch better than that,” Sherman said. “That’s not the season she’s got to have and she knows it.”

After leadoff batter Brooke Rutschman walked on six pitches, Denise Brown popped up a bunt for the first out. Jodi Chmielewski drew a walk on seven pitches and Glaister became a bundle of nerves.

“I got two runners on and their big hitter up and I was like, ohhhh,” Glaister said.

After walking cleanup hitter Tara Beyster to load the bases, Glaister struck out Jenni Jodin for the second out.

But Glaister’s first pitch to Kelli Kranz, a Saugus High graduate, sailed over the catcher’s head and Rutschman slid across the plate for the Beavers’ first run. Two pitches later, Glaister threw another wild pitch and Chmielewski scored.

“She was trying to throw the ball by them,” Sherman said. “She wants to be the best out there. She wants to help her team and so she rears back to try and throw it harder and it gets away.”

Glaister faced more trouble in the third. Rutschman, a freshman from Camarillo High, slapped a hard chopper down the third-base line for her first college hit. Two batters later, Rutschman scored from second on a single up the middle by Chmielewski, who later scored on a single by Kranz.

Glaister, who gave up four hits in the third, allowed five hits, struck out six and walked three.

Northridge came closest to scoring with two outs in the fifth. Jessica Creith singled up the middle for her fifth hit of the day and moved to second when Cheri Shinn walked.

But Chelo Lopez, the Matadors’ long-ball threat, struck out to end the game.

In other games:

Northridge 7, Northwestern 2--Lopez hit a grand slam in the third inning and the Matadors added three runs in the fourth against Northwestern (0-1) in a five-inning game.

Shinn (1-0) allowed three hits and struck out two in five innings. In addition, she went two for three and scored twice.

Northridge 9, Loyola Marymount 0--Creith went three for four and six players drove in a run in the Matadors’ season opener, which was called after four innings. Loyola fell to 0-3.

Creith, a sophomore right-hander who transferred from Indiana, allowed three hits in four innings.