A Perfect 10 for Matadors
One streak ended, another barely remained alive.
Both were welcome news for Cal State Northridge, which scored 10 runs in the eighth inning Friday and put away UC Santa Barbara, 18-5, in a Big West Conference game at Northridge.
The Matadors (24-14, 2-3 in the Big West) snapped a three-game conference losing streak with a 21-hit performance and eighth-inning rally that featured 15 batters.
The final plate appearance was by Tim Arroyo, who singled to left field to extend his hitting streak to 24 games, believed to be the longest in school history.
The inning, which included nine hits, ended on the play when Eric Verbryke was thrown out at home.
Arroyo, who finished one for four, drew a bases-loaded walk earlier in the inning.
“I was thinking, ‘At least I got an RBI,’ ” Arroyo said. “It pays off to be patient, I guess.
“This was huge. Just to remind us what we’re capable of doing.”
Northridge took a 5-0 lead in the first inning against ace Rylie Ogle (8-2). Aaron McKenzie hit a run-scoring single with two out and Jeremy Hanson capped the rally with a grand slam.
Ogle allowed 10 hits and seven runs--all earned--before being replaced after four innings, his earliest exit of the season.
Verbryke, J.T. Stotts, Jason Gorman and Robert Smith each had three hits for the Matadors. Smith, who was three for three, hit his fifth home run, a solo shot in the sixth inning.
Northridge had five doubles.
“We just have to stick to the basics and keep it simple,” Arroyo said. “Every at-bat. Every inning.”
The Matadors allowed only six hits against Santa Barbara, which entered the series with a .357 batting average, best in the nation.
Right-hander Kameron Loe pitched four scoreless innings with three strikeouts to earn his first save. Loe entered the game in the sixth after Dave Molidor’s grand slam off Ryan McDermott pulled Santa Barbara to within 7-5.
McDermott replaced Bill Murphy (7-3) with the bases loaded and one out in the sixth. Murphy walked six and struck out two in 5 1/3 innings.
Loe, a 6-foot-7 sophomore from Granada Hills High, struck out three and allowed two hits.
“I just tried to keep the ball low and let my defense do the work,” Loe said. “We know we can beat these guys. We know we can crush ‘em now. The whole team is in sync right now. We’re all working together as a whole, which is huge.”
Northridge players and coaches held a lengthy meeting after an 8-3 loss to Santa Barbara on Thursday in which Batesole and Verbryke were ejected. The team met again before Friday’s game.
Northridge and Santa Barbara play the rubber match of the series today at Northridge at 1.
“I don’t think the way we won is really as important as getting on the board with another league win,” Northridge Coach Mike Batesole said. “That stuff’s always up to the kids to go out and do it. Anybody can talk to their team and get them fired up, but the kids are the ones who go out and get it done.”
Verbryke, McKenzie and Arroyo each drove in two runs.