California State University Northridge Athletics
Friday, April 9
Santa Barbara, Calif.
5:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
5-8, 0
4
at
5
#25 UC Santa Barbara
19-8, 0
1st innning1
2nd innning2
3rd innning3
4th innning4
5th innning5
6th innning6
7th innning7
8th innning8
9th innning9
RunsR
HitsH
ErrorsE
CSUN
2
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
4
10
1
UC Santa Barbara
0
1
1
0
0
2
0
0
1
5
9
3
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Benbrook, Carter (3-0)
L: Sodersten, Blake (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Ball, Ryan 1 ; Clarke, Denzel 1 ; Bohning, Brandon 1
RBI: Ball, Ryan 1 ; Powell, Luke 2 ; Bohning, Brandon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Le, Mason 1 ; Moody, Kai 1 ; Ball, Ryan 1 ; Clarke, Denzel 1
CS: Clarke, Denzel 1
HBP: Clarke, Denzel 1
PO: Moody, Kai 1
Batting:
2B: Kirtley, Christian 1
HR: Rodriguez, Zach 1
RBI: Mortensen, Broc 1 ; Rodriguez, Zach 2 ; Ledford, Steele 1 ; Bloom, Gianni 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cummings, Cole 1 ; Mortensen, Broc 1 ; Rodriguez, Zach 1 ; Willits, Bryce 1 ; Ledford, Steele 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
3
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
Photo by: Paul Trafecanty
Matadors Lose Opener at #25 UCSB, 5-4
4/9/2021 8:13:00 PM | Baseball
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.---Blake Sodersten pitched a career-high 8.2 innings but UC Santa Barbara (19-8, 10-3 Big West) pushed across the winning run in the bottom of the ninth to edge CSUN Baseball (5-8, 5-8 Big West) 5-4 on Friday evening at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. Sodersten finished with five runs allowed to go with six strikeouts. Freshman Luke Powell had two hits and two RBI while Brandon Bohning went 3-for-4 with an RBI. CSUN took a two-run lead into the bottom of the sixth before the Gauchos scored two in that frame and the deciding run in the ninth to take the series opener.
GAME BREAKDOWN
The Matadors would jump on starter Michael McGreevy in the top of the first inning for two runs. Mason Le began the game with a single and he would touch home plate on an RBI double from Ryan Ball. Two batters later, Powell drove in Ball with a two-out single through the left side to put the Matadors ahead 2-0.
Sodersten worked a quick first inning but the Gauchos responded with a single tally in the second inning. After a one-out double from Christian Kirtley put runners at second and third, Steele Ledford grounded in UCSB's first run.
CSUN would capitalize on a UCSB error in the third to build a 3-1 lead. Kai Moody reached on an error by Cole Cummings at third base before reaching second on a groundout. Powell again came through with a timely RBI single to bring home Moody.
The Gauchos pulled closer on a two-out RBI double from Broc Mortensen in the bottom of the third but Sodersten would settle down for back-to-back shutout frames. A key 4-6-3 double play ended the threat in the third and Sodersten retired six of seven batters over the fourth and fifth innings to keep CSUN ahead 3-2.
In the sixth, heads-up baserunning from Denzel Clarke resulted in the Matadors' fourth run. Clarke doubled to kick off the inning and scored two batters later. Bohning hit a liner to third base that skipped into left field. Clarke, who had to hold up initially to see if the ball would be caught by Cummings at third base, hustled around third base and scored to put the Matadors up by two.
Sodersten returned to the mound in the sixth and was greeted by a leadoff single by Mortensen. Zach Rodriguez would deliver the big hit of the inning, a two-run home run that sailed over the leaping Clarke in center field and over the wall. After the homer, Sodersten rebounded to retire 10 of the next 11 batters as the game remained tied until the ninth.
CSUN would threaten in the top of the ninth after Bohning singled and reached second base on a wild pitch with one out. Carter Benbrook struck out Le before intentionally walking Moody with two outs. Benbrook then picked up another timely strikeout, this time of Ball, to give his offense a chance to win in the bottom of the ninth.
Sodersten sat down the first two batters in the ninth but Ledford kept the inning alive with a two-out walk. Moments later, head coach Dave Serrano lifted Sodersten, who was at 110 pitches, in favor of reliever Blaine Traxel. Jason Willow would work another walk, bringing Gianni Bloom to the plate. On a 0-2 pitch, Bloom hit a slow roller on the left side of the infield that he beat out at first base. On the play, Ledford never stopped running around third and would bring home the winning run ahead of the relay from first base.
GAME NOTES
Ball stretched his on-base streak to 12-straight games. Powell's two-hit game was his first career multiple-hit game. Le returned to the lineup after missing the last 10 games due to injury and went 1-for-5 with a run scored.
Sodersten's 8.2 innings of work surpassed his previous career-best of eight innings he worked at Gonzaga last season.
ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH DAVE SERRANO
"We lost a tough battle against a good UCSB team tonight. Blake Sodersten had his best outing so far this season and took us into the ninth. Some tough breaks in the ninth inning allowed Santa Barbara to come out on top but that's what good teams do is find a way to win the close ones. We've been on the good side of these games ourselves and teams have come back to play well against us the next game so we need to follow suit. One thing that should help us is we limited the amount of pitchers we used tonight."
UP NEXT
The Matadors and Gauchos play a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Both games will stream on BigWest.TV.
#UniteTheValley
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GAME BREAKDOWN
The Matadors would jump on starter Michael McGreevy in the top of the first inning for two runs. Mason Le began the game with a single and he would touch home plate on an RBI double from Ryan Ball. Two batters later, Powell drove in Ball with a two-out single through the left side to put the Matadors ahead 2-0.
Sodersten worked a quick first inning but the Gauchos responded with a single tally in the second inning. After a one-out double from Christian Kirtley put runners at second and third, Steele Ledford grounded in UCSB's first run.
CSUN would capitalize on a UCSB error in the third to build a 3-1 lead. Kai Moody reached on an error by Cole Cummings at third base before reaching second on a groundout. Powell again came through with a timely RBI single to bring home Moody.
The Gauchos pulled closer on a two-out RBI double from Broc Mortensen in the bottom of the third but Sodersten would settle down for back-to-back shutout frames. A key 4-6-3 double play ended the threat in the third and Sodersten retired six of seven batters over the fourth and fifth innings to keep CSUN ahead 3-2.
In the sixth, heads-up baserunning from Denzel Clarke resulted in the Matadors' fourth run. Clarke doubled to kick off the inning and scored two batters later. Bohning hit a liner to third base that skipped into left field. Clarke, who had to hold up initially to see if the ball would be caught by Cummings at third base, hustled around third base and scored to put the Matadors up by two.
Sodersten returned to the mound in the sixth and was greeted by a leadoff single by Mortensen. Zach Rodriguez would deliver the big hit of the inning, a two-run home run that sailed over the leaping Clarke in center field and over the wall. After the homer, Sodersten rebounded to retire 10 of the next 11 batters as the game remained tied until the ninth.
CSUN would threaten in the top of the ninth after Bohning singled and reached second base on a wild pitch with one out. Carter Benbrook struck out Le before intentionally walking Moody with two outs. Benbrook then picked up another timely strikeout, this time of Ball, to give his offense a chance to win in the bottom of the ninth.
Sodersten sat down the first two batters in the ninth but Ledford kept the inning alive with a two-out walk. Moments later, head coach Dave Serrano lifted Sodersten, who was at 110 pitches, in favor of reliever Blaine Traxel. Jason Willow would work another walk, bringing Gianni Bloom to the plate. On a 0-2 pitch, Bloom hit a slow roller on the left side of the infield that he beat out at first base. On the play, Ledford never stopped running around third and would bring home the winning run ahead of the relay from first base.
GAME NOTES
Ball stretched his on-base streak to 12-straight games. Powell's two-hit game was his first career multiple-hit game. Le returned to the lineup after missing the last 10 games due to injury and went 1-for-5 with a run scored.
Sodersten's 8.2 innings of work surpassed his previous career-best of eight innings he worked at Gonzaga last season.
ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH DAVE SERRANO
"We lost a tough battle against a good UCSB team tonight. Blake Sodersten had his best outing so far this season and took us into the ninth. Some tough breaks in the ninth inning allowed Santa Barbara to come out on top but that's what good teams do is find a way to win the close ones. We've been on the good side of these games ourselves and teams have come back to play well against us the next game so we need to follow suit. One thing that should help us is we limited the amount of pitchers we used tonight."
UP NEXT
The Matadors and Gauchos play a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Both games will stream on BigWest.TV.
#UniteTheValley
Â
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