Friday, May 14
Northridge, Calif.
3:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
17-16, 17-16
9
vs
1
Hawai'i
23-16, 15-14
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Hawai'i
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
4
2
CSUN
0
0
0
2
0
0
3
4
X
9
16
0
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Sodersten, Blake (3-1)
L: Davenport, Aaron (3-4)
Batting:
2B: Demeter, Dustin 1
RBI: Demeter, Dustin 1
SH: Scott, Scotty 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kaler, Kole 1
SB: Kaler, Kole 1 ; Fogel, Adam 1
HBP: Mauai, Safea 1
Batting:
2B: Moody, Kai 1 ; Ruiz, Jose 2 ; Ball, Ryan 1 ; Clarke, Denzel 2
HR: Le, Mason 1
RBI: Moody, Kai 1 ; Ruiz, Jose 2 ; Newman, Jayson 1 ; Le, Mason 3
SH: Bullard, Robert 1
SF: Le, Mason 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bullard, Robert 1 ; Moody, Kai 2 ; Ruiz, Jose 2 ; Newman, Jayson 1 ; Barraza, Nathan 1 ; Clarke, Denzel 1 ; Le, Mason 1
SB: Bullard, Robert 2
Game Leaders
Hitting
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
1B/RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
Photo by: Braden Villanueva
Sodersten Pitches Four-Hitter, Matadors Pull Away Late for 9-1 Win
5/14/2021 6:27:00 PM | Baseball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---Blake Sodersten went the distance for the second time this season while CSUN (17-16, 17-16 Big West) pounded out a season-high 16 hits in a 9-1 triumph over Hawai'i (23-16, 15-14 Big West) on Friday afternoon at Matador Field. Sodersten struck out a career-high nine batters and allowed one run on four hits. Seniors Jose Ruiz and Jayson Newman each had three hits while Ruiz drove in two runs. Mason Le also hit his third homer of the season and had three RBI. CSUN scored seven times over its last two innings, breaking open a 2-1 game.
GAME BREAKDOWN
For six and one-half innings, Friday's game took on the form of an old-fashioned pitcher's duel as Sodersten and Aaron Davenport traded zeroes on the mound for most of the afternoon.
Sodersten surrendered just two hits through the first five innings, one of which an infield single. He received a boost from his defense in the second inning when Nainoa Cardinez hit a line drive to center field that Denzel Clarke caught with two runners on base. On the play, the lead runner at second base, Safea Villaruz-Mauai, advanced too far in-between bases. Clarke quickly fired in the ball to the infield where Kai Moody applied a tag to Villaruz-Mauai at second base for the third out of the inning.
Sodersten also stranded a runner at second base in the fourth inning as he struck out Stone Miyao to end the threat.Â
Meanwhile, Davenport left four runners on the base paths through the first three innings before the Matadors turned to the long ball in the fourth. After Clarke doubled with one out, Le belted a two-run homer well over the left-field wall to give the Matadors a 2-0 edge. Davenport would leave four runners on base over the fourth and fifth innings to keep the game close.
In the sixth, the Rainbow Warriors finally broke up Sodersten's shutout bid when Kole Kaler walked and Dustin Demeter hit a one-out double to cut the lead to 2-1. The double would be the Rainbow Warriors' last hit until the ninth inning.
Sodersten went on to retire the next 10 batters in succession after the Demeter hit, giving the Matadors' offense a chance to open up the lead.
Davenport returned to the mound in the seventh and would be greeted with three-straight hits. After a Moody infield single, Ruiz roped an RBI double down the right-field line. Newman followed with an opposite field single to right to put the Matadors ahead 4-1. Later in the inning, with Le at the plate, a rundown with Newman and Clarke on the base paths led to a throwing error, allowing CSUN to score its fifth run of the game.
The Matadors broke the game open in the eighth inning as the first six batters reached to start the frame. Moody and Ruiz picked up RBI hits while another run scored via a wild pitch. Le capped the scoring spree with a sacrifice fly to make it a 9-1 game.
In the ninth, Sodersten sat down the first two batters before giving up a two-out single to Jacob Igawa but the right-hander struck out Miyao to end the game.
GAME NOTES
The Matadors have recorded 15 or more hits in four consecutive games. Moody registered his team-leading 15th multiple-hit game while Clarke notched his 11th and Ruiz tallied his 10th. Ryan Ball also had two hits in the win.Â
Clarke extended his on-base streak to 19 games and his hit streak to 15. Newman also stretched his hit streak to 14 games.
Sodersten's complete game while his second of the season was his first nine-inning effort. His previous complete game was an eight-inning performance against Cal State Fullerton on Apr. 23. As a team, the Matadors lead the Big West in complete games with five.
ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH DAVE SERRANO
"It was really good to have [Sodersten] back. He's been teetering over the last couple weeks and dealing with some mental stuff on the mound, which happens to everyone. He really pitched well today. I commended him in the eighth inning, he went out there and his conviction on every pitch was what I remembered Blake Sodersten was about. That set the tone for us, him going out and doing that. I believe the offense was a big part of it too. We had some guys that had some great days. This time of year, whether you're playing for the Big West championship or playing for pride at the end of the year, you want your superstars to have good days. That's kind of what happened today. Jayson Newman had a good day, Denzel Clarke had a good day, Junior Ruiz had a good day, a lot of good things happened.
As I shared with the team, this is about the seniors this weekend. It's about their last opportunity on this field. My only demand to them was we're going to play hard for them and each other and have fun together."
UP NEXT
CSUN faces Hawai'i in a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. Both games will stream on BigWest.TV with David Gascon on the call. A virtual pre-game show will kick off the coverage starting at 10:15 a.m.
#UniteTheValley
Â
GAME BREAKDOWN
For six and one-half innings, Friday's game took on the form of an old-fashioned pitcher's duel as Sodersten and Aaron Davenport traded zeroes on the mound for most of the afternoon.
Sodersten surrendered just two hits through the first five innings, one of which an infield single. He received a boost from his defense in the second inning when Nainoa Cardinez hit a line drive to center field that Denzel Clarke caught with two runners on base. On the play, the lead runner at second base, Safea Villaruz-Mauai, advanced too far in-between bases. Clarke quickly fired in the ball to the infield where Kai Moody applied a tag to Villaruz-Mauai at second base for the third out of the inning.
Sodersten also stranded a runner at second base in the fourth inning as he struck out Stone Miyao to end the threat.Â
Meanwhile, Davenport left four runners on the base paths through the first three innings before the Matadors turned to the long ball in the fourth. After Clarke doubled with one out, Le belted a two-run homer well over the left-field wall to give the Matadors a 2-0 edge. Davenport would leave four runners on base over the fourth and fifth innings to keep the game close.
In the sixth, the Rainbow Warriors finally broke up Sodersten's shutout bid when Kole Kaler walked and Dustin Demeter hit a one-out double to cut the lead to 2-1. The double would be the Rainbow Warriors' last hit until the ninth inning.
Sodersten went on to retire the next 10 batters in succession after the Demeter hit, giving the Matadors' offense a chance to open up the lead.
Davenport returned to the mound in the seventh and would be greeted with three-straight hits. After a Moody infield single, Ruiz roped an RBI double down the right-field line. Newman followed with an opposite field single to right to put the Matadors ahead 4-1. Later in the inning, with Le at the plate, a rundown with Newman and Clarke on the base paths led to a throwing error, allowing CSUN to score its fifth run of the game.
The Matadors broke the game open in the eighth inning as the first six batters reached to start the frame. Moody and Ruiz picked up RBI hits while another run scored via a wild pitch. Le capped the scoring spree with a sacrifice fly to make it a 9-1 game.
In the ninth, Sodersten sat down the first two batters before giving up a two-out single to Jacob Igawa but the right-hander struck out Miyao to end the game.
GAME NOTES
The Matadors have recorded 15 or more hits in four consecutive games. Moody registered his team-leading 15th multiple-hit game while Clarke notched his 11th and Ruiz tallied his 10th. Ryan Ball also had two hits in the win.Â
Clarke extended his on-base streak to 19 games and his hit streak to 15. Newman also stretched his hit streak to 14 games.
Sodersten's complete game while his second of the season was his first nine-inning effort. His previous complete game was an eight-inning performance against Cal State Fullerton on Apr. 23. As a team, the Matadors lead the Big West in complete games with five.
ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH DAVE SERRANO
"It was really good to have [Sodersten] back. He's been teetering over the last couple weeks and dealing with some mental stuff on the mound, which happens to everyone. He really pitched well today. I commended him in the eighth inning, he went out there and his conviction on every pitch was what I remembered Blake Sodersten was about. That set the tone for us, him going out and doing that. I believe the offense was a big part of it too. We had some guys that had some great days. This time of year, whether you're playing for the Big West championship or playing for pride at the end of the year, you want your superstars to have good days. That's kind of what happened today. Jayson Newman had a good day, Denzel Clarke had a good day, Junior Ruiz had a good day, a lot of good things happened.
As I shared with the team, this is about the seniors this weekend. It's about their last opportunity on this field. My only demand to them was we're going to play hard for them and each other and have fun together."
UP NEXT
CSUN faces Hawai'i in a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. Both games will stream on BigWest.TV with David Gascon on the call. A virtual pre-game show will kick off the coverage starting at 10:15 a.m.
#UniteTheValley
Â
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