Saturday, May 25
Northridge, CA
1:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
2
vs
9
Cal State Fullerton
Players Mentioned
INF/OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF/RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
Photo by: Shae Hammond
Matadors Fall to Fullerton on Senior Day
5/25/2019 4:20:00 PM | Baseball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---In both teams' regular season finale, CSUN Baseball (23-32, 9-15 BWC) took a one-run lead to the sixth but Cal State Fullerton scored six in the inning and held on for a 9-2 decision on Senior Day Saturday at Matador Field. Freshman Andrew Lucas went 3-for-4 with two doubles while senior Wesley Ghan-Gibson homered in his final collegiate game. Freshman Blaine Traxel made his second start of the season as he went 5.2 innings, allowing seven runs.
GAME BREAKDOWN
Traxel worked his way into a jam in the first inning but the right hander limited the Titans to a single tally. Mitchell Berryhill would reach on an infield single to start the game before Traxel picked him off the base paths. After two of the next three batters reached base, AJ Curtis hit an RBI single up the middle to give the Titans the early edge. Fullerton eventually loaded the bases with two outs when Zach Lew hit a long drive to left field, which was caught by Blake Doremus on the warning track.
The Matadors powered their way into the lead in the home half of the first inning behind back-to-back home runs. With two outs, Doremus hammered a 1-0 pitch over the right field wall to tie the game. Just four pitches later, Ghan-Gibson drove a ball down the left field line, which just sailed fair, giving CSUN a 2-1 lead.
After his early struggles, Traxel found his rhythm on the mound over the next four innings. Traxel went on to retire eight-straight batters until giving up a one-out walk to Jairus Richards in the fourth. The freshman would then get back on track by retiring five more batters consecutively, taking a 2-1 lead to the sixth.
Held off the scoreboard since the first inning, the Titans erupted with a huge sixth to break the game open. Traxel gave up just his fourth and fifth hits to start the frame before Curtis laid down a sacrifice bunt. Richards followed with a two-run double down right field line to give the Titans the lead again. Five of the next six Titan batters would reach base, capped off by a two-run triple by Hank LoForte that extended the Titan advantage to 7-2.Â
The Matadors had runners on base in four of the first five innings but only scored in one frame over that span. Fullerton reliever Joe Magrisi sat down eight-straight Matadors over the next three innings before Mitch Kerner led off the seventh inning with a double.
Fullerton added to its lead in the top of the eighth inning after RBI hits from LoForte and Isaiah Garcia.
CSUN would get a two-out double from Lucas in the eighth and back-to-back one-out singles from Austin Elder and Denzel Clarke in the ninth but came up empty in each frame.
ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH GREG MOORE
"The big inning got us today. We didn't stop the bleeding when we needed to. I thought Blaine [Traxel] was really good in those first five innings. He showed he could pitch to righties and pitch to lefties - change speeds well. It's a great sign for a freshman to get out there and do what he did for five.
"Per at bat, Mitch Kerner probably led the team in quality at bats. Every time, he's walking and moving the baseball. Today he got a double down the line. He's a good baseball player - he sees pitches really well. And Wes Ghan-Gibson is a giver, he just makes everybody around him better."
GAME NOTES
Playing in their final collegiate game on Saturday, Ghan-Gibson went 1-for-4 while Kerner reached base twice and tallied his first career hit with the Matadors with his double in the seventh inning. Kyle Barret also completed his outstanding senior season, reaching base once with a walk. The trio would be lifted in the top of the ninth to standing ovations by the Matador Field faithful.
The 32 appearances on the mound for Traxel this season are the most by a CSUN freshman in team history. He also concludes the season with the third-most appearances overall for a single year in the Matador record books.
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GAME BREAKDOWN
Traxel worked his way into a jam in the first inning but the right hander limited the Titans to a single tally. Mitchell Berryhill would reach on an infield single to start the game before Traxel picked him off the base paths. After two of the next three batters reached base, AJ Curtis hit an RBI single up the middle to give the Titans the early edge. Fullerton eventually loaded the bases with two outs when Zach Lew hit a long drive to left field, which was caught by Blake Doremus on the warning track.
The Matadors powered their way into the lead in the home half of the first inning behind back-to-back home runs. With two outs, Doremus hammered a 1-0 pitch over the right field wall to tie the game. Just four pitches later, Ghan-Gibson drove a ball down the left field line, which just sailed fair, giving CSUN a 2-1 lead.
After his early struggles, Traxel found his rhythm on the mound over the next four innings. Traxel went on to retire eight-straight batters until giving up a one-out walk to Jairus Richards in the fourth. The freshman would then get back on track by retiring five more batters consecutively, taking a 2-1 lead to the sixth.
Held off the scoreboard since the first inning, the Titans erupted with a huge sixth to break the game open. Traxel gave up just his fourth and fifth hits to start the frame before Curtis laid down a sacrifice bunt. Richards followed with a two-run double down right field line to give the Titans the lead again. Five of the next six Titan batters would reach base, capped off by a two-run triple by Hank LoForte that extended the Titan advantage to 7-2.Â
The Matadors had runners on base in four of the first five innings but only scored in one frame over that span. Fullerton reliever Joe Magrisi sat down eight-straight Matadors over the next three innings before Mitch Kerner led off the seventh inning with a double.
Fullerton added to its lead in the top of the eighth inning after RBI hits from LoForte and Isaiah Garcia.
CSUN would get a two-out double from Lucas in the eighth and back-to-back one-out singles from Austin Elder and Denzel Clarke in the ninth but came up empty in each frame.
ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH GREG MOORE
"The big inning got us today. We didn't stop the bleeding when we needed to. I thought Blaine [Traxel] was really good in those first five innings. He showed he could pitch to righties and pitch to lefties - change speeds well. It's a great sign for a freshman to get out there and do what he did for five.
"Per at bat, Mitch Kerner probably led the team in quality at bats. Every time, he's walking and moving the baseball. Today he got a double down the line. He's a good baseball player - he sees pitches really well. And Wes Ghan-Gibson is a giver, he just makes everybody around him better."
GAME NOTES
Playing in their final collegiate game on Saturday, Ghan-Gibson went 1-for-4 while Kerner reached base twice and tallied his first career hit with the Matadors with his double in the seventh inning. Kyle Barret also completed his outstanding senior season, reaching base once with a walk. The trio would be lifted in the top of the ninth to standing ovations by the Matador Field faithful.
The 32 appearances on the mound for Traxel this season are the most by a CSUN freshman in team history. He also concludes the season with the third-most appearances overall for a single year in the Matador record books.
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