Saturday, March 7
Spokane, Wash.
1:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
9-4
3
at
4
Gonzaga
4-9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
CSUN
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
6
1
Gonzaga
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
4
13
0
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: GOMEZ, A (2-0)
L: Traxel, Blaine (2-1)
Batting:
2B: Doremus, Blake 1
HR: Ruiz, Jose 1
RBI: Ruiz, Jose 2 ; Arellano, Carlos 1
SH: Ruiz, Jose 1 ; Arellano, Carlos 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Newman, Jayson 1 ; Ruiz, Jose 1 ; Doremus, Blake 1
CS: Clarke, Denzel 1
HBP: Clarke, Denzel 1
Batting:
2B: HARRIS, B 2 ; RANDO, T 1
RBI: HARRIS, B 1 ; SULLIVAN, R 1 ; LUND, S 1 ; MACHTOLF, J 1
SH: HARRIS, B 1
SF: SULLIVAN, R 1
Base Running:
RUNS: YAKE, E 2 ; HARRIS, B 1 ; RANDO, T 1
HBP: RANDO, T 1 ; SULLIVAN, R 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF/RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ Baseball
Photo by: Shae Hammond
Matadors Split Doubleheader at Gonzaga
3/7/2020 4:43:00 PM | Baseball
SPOKANE, Wash.---CSUN Baseball (10-4) dropped a 4-3 heartbreaker in the opener of a doubleheader with Gonzaga but rebounded with a come-from-behind 4-3 win in the nightcap on Saturday at Patterson Baseball Complex. Right-handed pitcher Blaine Traxel went the distance in the opener, allowing four runs over 8.2 innings while the Matador bullpen scattered three hits over the last three innings of game two. Denzel Clarke finished with three hits in the twin bill including a home run in the nightcap.
GAME ONE
The Matadors led for nearly the entire game before Gonzaga scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to upend CSUN. Traxel pitched his first complete game, scattering 13 hits while allowing four runs. Jose Ruiz hit his first home run of the season and drove in two runs while junior Carlos Arellano finished 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Two of the first three reached in the bottom of the first inning against Traxel before Ryan Sullivan gave Gonzaga the lead on a sacrifice fly. Stephen Lund added to the lead with an RBI single with two outs to put the Matadors in a 2-0 hole.
CSUN wasted little time answering in the third inning. Jayson Newman began the frame with a walk before Ruiz belted a two-run home run to tie the game. The Matadors were not through as Blake Doremus doubled and Jason Ajamian worked a one-out walk to bring up Arellano. The Matador shortstop laced a 2-0 pitch into center field to bring home Doremus and give CSUN a 3-2 edge.
Traxel would settle down after the rocky first inning and pitch around base runners in each of the next four innings. He also received solid plays from his defense to help keep the Bulldogs off the scoreboard. In the third, third baseman Mason Le threw out Brett Harris trying to score on a ground ball and in the fifth Harris was thrown out trying to score on a fly ball by Clarke in center field.
Gonzaga threatened in the seventh when it had runners at second and third base with one out. Traxel induced a groundball leading to Le throwing out Anthony Garrett trying to score from third. Rando would later be erased on the base paths when Arellano forced him out at third base on another groundball.
Traxel worked his way into the ninth inning but Gonzaga broke through with timely hits. After a leadoff single, Harris tied the game with an RBI double. Traxel would retire two of the next three batters but Jack Machtolf ended the game with a game-winning RBI single.
GAME TWO
In another tight game, the Matadors scored three runs over the last two innings to edge Gonzaga and secure their second win of the weekend series. Clarke finished 2-for-3 with two RBI while Sean Skelly picked up an RBI hit. Right-handed pitcher Gavin Lizik worked five innings, allowing two runs on five hits to go with three strikeouts.Â
Gonzaga again struck first, this time in the second inning on a solo home run from Lund. Lizik settled down after the long ball though and retired eight of the next 11 batters. The Matador freshman hurler pitched around a hit in the third and received a timely 6-3 double play to end the fourth.
CSUN took advantage of a Gonzaga miscue in the top of the fifth to square the game at 1-1. Ruiz drew a leadoff walk and was sacrificed up to second base by Le. Two batters later, Anthony Gibbons reached on a fielding error by shortstop Ernie Yake, giving Ruiz a chance to race home with the tying run.
Lizik pitched into the sixth inning but served up a leadoff home run to Yake, which put Gonzaga back in front. After a CSUN error, Jackson Cunningham relieved Lizik and retired the next three batters to end the frame.
After the Matadors were turned away in the seventh, CSUN picked up a clutch hit from Clarke to surge ahead in the top of the eighth. The first two batters were retired to start the eighth before Robert Bullard reached on an error from second baseman Garret. Clarke stepped to the plate next and fought off an 0-2 pitch for a two-run home run, putting the Matadors up 3-2.
The lead was short-lived though as Gonzaga evened the game up in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI single from Rando, setting the stage for the ninth.
Once again, CSUN capitalized on a Gonzaga error as Le reached with one out. Following a single from Dalton Vanhille, Skelly came through with an RBI single to plate Le. CSUN closer Blake Schriever entered out of the bullpen in the bottom of the ninth and pitched around a two-out single to nail down his fourth save of the season.
GAME NOTES
Ruiz's homer in game one was his fifth of his career while Clarke homered for the third time this season and the eighth time overall in two seasons with the Matadors. Clarke has reached base in 11-straight games while he registered his fifth multiple-hit game of the year, tying Newman for the team lead.
Elijah Garcia earned the win in game two with a shutout inning of relief in the bottom of the eighth. Schriever's save was his 13th of his career, tying him with Mike Frick (1999-01) for fourth place on the Matadors' career list.
UP NEXT
The Matadors look for the series victory on Sunday when they conclude their four-game set with Gonzaga at noon.
#UniteTheValley
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GAME ONE
The Matadors led for nearly the entire game before Gonzaga scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to upend CSUN. Traxel pitched his first complete game, scattering 13 hits while allowing four runs. Jose Ruiz hit his first home run of the season and drove in two runs while junior Carlos Arellano finished 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Two of the first three reached in the bottom of the first inning against Traxel before Ryan Sullivan gave Gonzaga the lead on a sacrifice fly. Stephen Lund added to the lead with an RBI single with two outs to put the Matadors in a 2-0 hole.
CSUN wasted little time answering in the third inning. Jayson Newman began the frame with a walk before Ruiz belted a two-run home run to tie the game. The Matadors were not through as Blake Doremus doubled and Jason Ajamian worked a one-out walk to bring up Arellano. The Matador shortstop laced a 2-0 pitch into center field to bring home Doremus and give CSUN a 3-2 edge.
Traxel would settle down after the rocky first inning and pitch around base runners in each of the next four innings. He also received solid plays from his defense to help keep the Bulldogs off the scoreboard. In the third, third baseman Mason Le threw out Brett Harris trying to score on a ground ball and in the fifth Harris was thrown out trying to score on a fly ball by Clarke in center field.
Gonzaga threatened in the seventh when it had runners at second and third base with one out. Traxel induced a groundball leading to Le throwing out Anthony Garrett trying to score from third. Rando would later be erased on the base paths when Arellano forced him out at third base on another groundball.
Traxel worked his way into the ninth inning but Gonzaga broke through with timely hits. After a leadoff single, Harris tied the game with an RBI double. Traxel would retire two of the next three batters but Jack Machtolf ended the game with a game-winning RBI single.
GAME TWO
In another tight game, the Matadors scored three runs over the last two innings to edge Gonzaga and secure their second win of the weekend series. Clarke finished 2-for-3 with two RBI while Sean Skelly picked up an RBI hit. Right-handed pitcher Gavin Lizik worked five innings, allowing two runs on five hits to go with three strikeouts.Â
Gonzaga again struck first, this time in the second inning on a solo home run from Lund. Lizik settled down after the long ball though and retired eight of the next 11 batters. The Matador freshman hurler pitched around a hit in the third and received a timely 6-3 double play to end the fourth.
CSUN took advantage of a Gonzaga miscue in the top of the fifth to square the game at 1-1. Ruiz drew a leadoff walk and was sacrificed up to second base by Le. Two batters later, Anthony Gibbons reached on a fielding error by shortstop Ernie Yake, giving Ruiz a chance to race home with the tying run.
Lizik pitched into the sixth inning but served up a leadoff home run to Yake, which put Gonzaga back in front. After a CSUN error, Jackson Cunningham relieved Lizik and retired the next three batters to end the frame.
After the Matadors were turned away in the seventh, CSUN picked up a clutch hit from Clarke to surge ahead in the top of the eighth. The first two batters were retired to start the eighth before Robert Bullard reached on an error from second baseman Garret. Clarke stepped to the plate next and fought off an 0-2 pitch for a two-run home run, putting the Matadors up 3-2.
The lead was short-lived though as Gonzaga evened the game up in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI single from Rando, setting the stage for the ninth.
Once again, CSUN capitalized on a Gonzaga error as Le reached with one out. Following a single from Dalton Vanhille, Skelly came through with an RBI single to plate Le. CSUN closer Blake Schriever entered out of the bullpen in the bottom of the ninth and pitched around a two-out single to nail down his fourth save of the season.
GAME NOTES
Ruiz's homer in game one was his fifth of his career while Clarke homered for the third time this season and the eighth time overall in two seasons with the Matadors. Clarke has reached base in 11-straight games while he registered his fifth multiple-hit game of the year, tying Newman for the team lead.
Elijah Garcia earned the win in game two with a shutout inning of relief in the bottom of the eighth. Schriever's save was his 13th of his career, tying him with Mike Frick (1999-01) for fourth place on the Matadors' career list.
UP NEXT
The Matadors look for the series victory on Sunday when they conclude their four-game set with Gonzaga at noon.
#UniteTheValley
Â
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