Saturday, April 16
Riverside, Calif.
1:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
18-15, 7-8
1
at
0
UC Riverside
4-28, 2-13
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
CSUN
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
8
1
UC Riverside
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Braun, Lucas (3-3)
L: Tuck Juline (1-2)
S: Martinez, Xavier (1)
Batting:
2B: Sojka, Andrew 1 ; Moody, Kai 1
RBI: Moody, Kai 1
SH: Simons, Jakob 1 ; Le, Mason 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sojka, Andrew 1
SB: Sojka, Andrew 1 ; West, Bart 1
Batting:
2B: Jacob Shanks 1
Base Running:
SB: Anthony Mcfarland 1
HBP: Dylan Orick 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
Photo by: Mikaella Salazar
Matadors Shutout UC Riverside for Third-Straight Day, Complete Sweep
4/16/2022 4:37:00 PM | Baseball
RIVERSIDE, Calif.---CSUN Baseball (18-15, 7-8 Big West) shutout UC Riverside (4-28, 2-13 Big West) for the third consecutive day, completing a three-game sweep with a 1-0 triumph on Saturday at the Riverside Sports Complex. Lucas Braun tossed seven shutout innings, scattering five hits while racking up six strikeouts. Xavier Martinez worked the final two innings, retiring all six batters he faced. Kai Moody drove in the Matadors' lone run and had two hits.
The Matadors made team history on Saturday by shutting out UC Riverside for an entire three-game series. CSUN had never posted three-straight shutouts in the team's Division I history and had never blanked a single opponent for an entire three-game series in the team's 64-year history. The Matadors had previously posted three consecutive shutouts in 1983 as a Division II member against Chapman over a four-game series.
CSUN's lone run of the afternoon was scored in the top of the first. Andrew Sojka began the game with a double before advancing to third on a Jakob Simons sacrifice bunt. Moody followed with an RBI single to give the Matadors a 1-0 lead.
It turned out the Matadors' single run in the first would be enough for the pitching staff. Braun ran into trouble in the home half of the first after giving up a leadoff double and hitting another batter with two outs but he induced an inning-ending 1-3 double play to end the threat.
The Highlanders appeared they might break through again in the second inning after loading the bases with two outs on a single from Anthony Mcfarland. Braun, who struck out two batters in the frame, would escape danger again by retiring Jacob Shanks on a grounder to first.
Braun continued to frustrate the Highlander bats with runners on base over the middle innings as well. In the fourth, he picked up a 5-4-3 double play that wiped away a leadoff single by Taylor Juline. An inning later, Braun stranded the tying run on second base after retiring Shanks and Jacob Badawi consecutively. He also pitched around a a two-out walk in the bottom of the sixth.
Braun ended his day after a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh, making way for the bullpen. Martinez would make short work of the Highlanders, sitting down the side in order in the eighth and ninth inning to nail down a save.
GAME NOTES
Braun improved to 3-0 as a starter this season while his seven innings pitched are a new career-high for the junior. Martinez's save was his first of the season.
Sojka notched his 14th multiple-hit game of the season after a 2-for-3 effort while Moody picked up his 13th multiple-hit game. Sojka improved his team-leading on-base streak to 16 games.
ACCORDING TO COACH DAVE SERRANO
"Another great performance from a couple of our pitchers. Lucas Braun really battled today, threw strikes and anytime you're able to do that you're going to have success. He gave us seven really good innings, his pitch count got to a level that he hadn't been to yet so we went to Xavier Martinez. Even though the game was a 1-0 lead you would never have known that by way Xavier competed and pounded the strike zone with three pitches himself.
"Overall, it's a great weekend for our team, anytime you get a sweep it's a great thing for your team. The best part for me is I feel the offense has done a great job of supporting the pitching staff all year long and it was time for the pitching to pick up the offense. Hopefully, this weekend will build some confidence heading into Arizona State Tuesday night and next weekend at Cal State Fullerton.
"I've coached a long time as an assistant coach and a head coach working with pitchers, and I've been a part of some special staffs but never in my career has a pitching staff like ours this weekend go a full weekend series without giving up a run so kudos to them."
UP NEXT
CSUN makes a midweek trip to Arizona State on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
#UniteTheValley
Â
The Matadors made team history on Saturday by shutting out UC Riverside for an entire three-game series. CSUN had never posted three-straight shutouts in the team's Division I history and had never blanked a single opponent for an entire three-game series in the team's 64-year history. The Matadors had previously posted three consecutive shutouts in 1983 as a Division II member against Chapman over a four-game series.
CSUN's lone run of the afternoon was scored in the top of the first. Andrew Sojka began the game with a double before advancing to third on a Jakob Simons sacrifice bunt. Moody followed with an RBI single to give the Matadors a 1-0 lead.
It turned out the Matadors' single run in the first would be enough for the pitching staff. Braun ran into trouble in the home half of the first after giving up a leadoff double and hitting another batter with two outs but he induced an inning-ending 1-3 double play to end the threat.
The Highlanders appeared they might break through again in the second inning after loading the bases with two outs on a single from Anthony Mcfarland. Braun, who struck out two batters in the frame, would escape danger again by retiring Jacob Shanks on a grounder to first.
Braun continued to frustrate the Highlander bats with runners on base over the middle innings as well. In the fourth, he picked up a 5-4-3 double play that wiped away a leadoff single by Taylor Juline. An inning later, Braun stranded the tying run on second base after retiring Shanks and Jacob Badawi consecutively. He also pitched around a a two-out walk in the bottom of the sixth.
Braun ended his day after a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh, making way for the bullpen. Martinez would make short work of the Highlanders, sitting down the side in order in the eighth and ninth inning to nail down a save.
GAME NOTES
Braun improved to 3-0 as a starter this season while his seven innings pitched are a new career-high for the junior. Martinez's save was his first of the season.
Sojka notched his 14th multiple-hit game of the season after a 2-for-3 effort while Moody picked up his 13th multiple-hit game. Sojka improved his team-leading on-base streak to 16 games.
ACCORDING TO COACH DAVE SERRANO
"Another great performance from a couple of our pitchers. Lucas Braun really battled today, threw strikes and anytime you're able to do that you're going to have success. He gave us seven really good innings, his pitch count got to a level that he hadn't been to yet so we went to Xavier Martinez. Even though the game was a 1-0 lead you would never have known that by way Xavier competed and pounded the strike zone with three pitches himself.
"Overall, it's a great weekend for our team, anytime you get a sweep it's a great thing for your team. The best part for me is I feel the offense has done a great job of supporting the pitching staff all year long and it was time for the pitching to pick up the offense. Hopefully, this weekend will build some confidence heading into Arizona State Tuesday night and next weekend at Cal State Fullerton.
"I've coached a long time as an assistant coach and a head coach working with pitchers, and I've been a part of some special staffs but never in my career has a pitching staff like ours this weekend go a full weekend series without giving up a run so kudos to them."
UP NEXT
CSUN makes a midweek trip to Arizona State on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
#UniteTheValley
Â
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