Northridge Wins Ugly in 9th, 7-4

It wasn’t pretty, but the Cal State Northridge baseball team will take it.

The Matadors scored three runs without a hit in the top of the ninth to break a 4-4 tie and beat Michigan, 7-4, in the teams’ first-ever meeting Friday in a first-round game of the Texas A&M; tournament in College Station, Texas.

Northridge (18-14) broke the late deadlock with the help of two Michigan errors, a hit batsman, a passed ball and a wild pitch.

The wild pitch by reliever Ryan Kelley allowed pinch-runner Peter Zinneger to score the tie-breaking run from third base. Zinneger had run for Jeremy Sickles, who reached on an error to start the inning. He was sacrificed to second and went to third on a passed ball.

Michigan (5-7) had runners at second and third with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth. Northridge closer Daryl Grant, however, got Bobby Scales to hit into a double play and Jason Alcaraz flied out to give Mike Frick (2-0) the victory. Frick had relieved starter Andy Davidson, who allowed eight hits and one earned run in six innings.

SOFTBALL

Southwestern Louisiana 4, CS Northridge 1--Ashlie Hayes had two hits for the Matadors, but Northridge lost in the first round of bracket play in the Cal State Fullerton tournament.

Tara Glaister (8-6) took the loss for Northridge (14-10). Veronica Lopez hit a solo home run for the Matadors’ only score.

In a pool-play game earlier Friday, Northridge blanked DePaul (12-9), 10-0, on a five-inning no-hitter thrown by Glaister. The game was called because of the eight-run rule.