Cal State Northridge scored in each of the first five innings to run away to an 11-2 baseball rout of Hawaii at Matador Field in Northridge, Calif.
A Saturday afternoon crowd of 421 saw the Matadors rebound from Friday’s 7-0 loss to even the three-game series. The Matadors and Rainbow Warriors face off today in what is now a crucial game.
The Matadors, at 16-10 in the Big West, remain two games behind leader UC Santa Barbara (18-8). At 15-11, UH and UC Irvine are both three games back. Cal State Fullerton dropped to 17-9 after Saturday’s loss to Long Beach State, the Titans’ fifth consecutive league loss. UC San Diego is in the third season of a four-year transition from Division II to Division I and is ineligible to compete in the postseason.
The ’Bows’ hopes rest on today’s game and next weekend’s three-game series against UC Santa Barbara to close the regular season.
“We have to stay positive and flush this one,” UH coach Rich Hill said of Saturday’s road loss, “and be ready to go (on Sunday).”
On Saturday, in a facility without field lights, the ’Bows’ prospects — and mood — darkened early. The ’Bows could not cash in with a runner on third base in the first and third innings. Left-hander Randy Abshier, who had excelled as a Saturday starter, lasted three innings, giving up four runs — three earned — and five hits. “Randy was a little tight, and that affected his breaking ball,” Hill said.
The Matadors’ first four runs were delivered on batted balls that did not leave the infield — Ali Camarillo’s RBI bunt single in the first; a throwing error and a groundout in the two-run second; and Nathan Barraza’s fielder’s choice in the third. Kevin Fitzer and Camarillo had sacrifice flies and Jakob Simons smacked a run- scoring double in the Matadors’ three-run fourth.
“Like I said before, sometimes it’s like pushing a grapefruit through a doughnut hole,” Hill said. “The whole day felt like that. We got into our ’pen a little bit earlier than we wanted to. … And their pitcher (Thomas Bainton) had a great tempo and filled up the zone and kept us off balance. We made a couple key errors, and it got away from us. It was 7-0 before we knew it.”
The ’Bows, who did not make an error on Friday, committed three on Saturday. The Matadors’ final run came when left fielder Toby Jackson dropped a fly ball with two outs in the eighth.
“We’ve played better, hit better, do the whole thing better,” Hill said.
Jacob Igawa had three of the ’Bows’ eight hits. Catcher DallasJ Duarte was replaced in the fifth inning. “I thought (Nainoa) Cardinez gave us a better option at that point,” Hill said. “I thought Dallas needed more of a mental break than anything.”
And reliever Tai Atkins, who had not pitched in 48 days, entered in the sixth. Atkins struck out Ben Griffin with the bases loaded in a scoreless sixth. But Atkins surrendered Fitzer’s three-run blast in the seventh.
“He’s been working hard to try to get back out there,” Hill said of Atkins. “I thought it was a really good spot for him to get his feet wet again.”
Hill said Harrison Bodendorf is likely UH’s starting pitcher today, although Alex Giroux and Connor Harrison also are considerations. “We’ve got some good pitching we can piece together,” Hill said. “So do they. We’ll be in a good place.”
