Sunday, May 1
Northridge, Calif.
1:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
22-18, 11-10
3
vs
2
CSU Bakersfield
16-24, 9-9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
CSU Bakersfield
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
2
4
0
CSUN
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
3
7
0
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Schriever, Blake (2-2)
L: Johnson, Kenny (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Casillas, Aaron 1 ; Hendriks, Cody 1
HR: Miller, AJ 1
RBI: Miller, AJ 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Miller, AJ 1 ; Hendriks, Cody 1
SB: Pollard, Michael 1
Batting:
2B: Kramer, Joey 1
HR: Le, Mason 1
RBI: West, Bart 1 ; Le, Mason 2
SF: Le, Mason 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Moody, Kai 1 ; West, Bart 1 ; Le, Mason 1
HBP: Gonzalez, Gabe 1 ; Bohning, Brandon 1
PO: Tarlow, Graysen 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
Photo by: Mikaella Salazar
Le Hits Walk-Off Homer to Clinch CSUN Series Win
5/1/2022 3:44:00 PM | Baseball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---Mason Le belted a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to give CSUN (22-18, 11-10 Big West) a 3-2 win over CSU Bakersfield (16-24, 9-9 Big West) on Sunday at Matador Field. Right-handed pitcher Lucas Braun received a no-decision but worked seven innings, allowing one run on two hits. Le drove in two of the Matadors' three runs while Bart West had two hits and one RBI. The Matadors clinched their fifth series win in seven tries in Big West play.
CSUN entered the top of the ninth inning ahead 2-1 before each team came away with dramatic home runs. On the first pitch of the top of the ninth inning, AJ Miller hammered a deep drive the opposite way off the left-field foul pole for a game-tying solo homer. Xavier Martinez would bounce back on the mound by striking out Aaron Perez before Blake Schriever recorded the final two outs to send the game to the bottom of the ninth tied up at 2-2.
After Nathan Barraza was retired to start the home half of the ninth, Le stepped to the plate next. Le would fall behind 0-2 in the count before lining a 1-2 pitch to left field. The laser just cleared the left-field fence for a walk-off home run, securing a Matador series victory.
Braun's pitching effort on the mound was the story earlier in the game. The right-hander gave up a leadoff single to start the game but bounced back to retire the next 10 Roadrunners. Braun one-hit CSUB through the first five innings before giving up a leadoff double to Cody Hendriks in the sixth inning.
The Matadors would put up a pair of single tallies on the scoreboard in support of Braun in the early innings. In the bottom of the second, West singled to start the frame before Joey Kramer doubled and Mason Le hit a sacrifice fly to right field for the Matadors' first run. CSUN doubled its lead in the third inning on a two-out hit from West. After Kai Moody walked and Gabe Gonzalez reached on a hit-by-pitch, West stroked an RBI single through left side for a CSUN 2-0 lead.
The Roadrunners though scratched across a run in the top of the sixth to break up Braun's shutout bid. Hendriks doubled to start the inning but stood at third base with two outs after Braun retired the next two batters. Braun jumped ahead 1-2 in the count against Miller but delivered a wild pitch that went far enough away from home plate to score Hendriks.Â
Braun pitched around a two-out walk in the top of the seventh and struck out Nick Salas for his final out of the game.
Martinez took over on the mound in the eighth and helped keep the Roadrunners at bay with a shutout frame. Despite a leadoff double from Aaron Casillas, Martinez sat down the next three batters in a row to leave the tying run at third base.
GAME NOTES
Braun finished with a career-high seven strikeouts while he tied a season-best seven innings pitched. Schriever, who recorded the final two outs of the game, picked up his 12th career win with the Matadors.
Andrew Sojka collected a leadoff single in the third inning to extend his on-base streak to 23 games. Le's home run was his fourth of the season, which also snapped a 0-for-13 skid at the plate.
The win was head coach Dave Serrano's 499th career win.
ACCORDING TO COACH DAVE SERRANO
"We all know this is a very offensive ballpark. Today it wasn't offensive with the way the winds were blowing. It was probably a day where it was fun to pitch. I don't want to take anything away from Lucas, he established three or four pitches in the strike zone and was really good with it. Martinez came in and did a good job but AJ Miller hits it good in the ninth inning. We're going fastball away and [Miller] did a great job of letting the ball get deep and he hits it off the foul pole to tie the game. What shows me maturity out of Xavier Martinez is he gives up the home run but gets the next big out. That always tells me a lot of the character of somebody. He just gave up something devastating and he gets the next out. Then we go to Schriever because I felt he was a better matchup in that situation to those right-handed hitters. He closed the door and then the dramatic hit in the ninth inning. Coach Cornejo said it perfectly, I don't think [Le] was trying to hit the ball out, he was just trying to get a good swing on the ball. He got the ball elevated and hit a line drive out of the ballpark.
"Exciting day for us, exciting weekend, we got two walk-offs. We hadn't done that all year. But I really tip my cap to Bakersfield. I thought they played their tails off this weekend. It took everything we had to win that series."
UP NEXT
CSUN hits the road for a pair of non-conference midweek games first starting with a Tuesday matchup at USC. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
#UniteTheValley
Â
CSUN entered the top of the ninth inning ahead 2-1 before each team came away with dramatic home runs. On the first pitch of the top of the ninth inning, AJ Miller hammered a deep drive the opposite way off the left-field foul pole for a game-tying solo homer. Xavier Martinez would bounce back on the mound by striking out Aaron Perez before Blake Schriever recorded the final two outs to send the game to the bottom of the ninth tied up at 2-2.
After Nathan Barraza was retired to start the home half of the ninth, Le stepped to the plate next. Le would fall behind 0-2 in the count before lining a 1-2 pitch to left field. The laser just cleared the left-field fence for a walk-off home run, securing a Matador series victory.
Braun's pitching effort on the mound was the story earlier in the game. The right-hander gave up a leadoff single to start the game but bounced back to retire the next 10 Roadrunners. Braun one-hit CSUB through the first five innings before giving up a leadoff double to Cody Hendriks in the sixth inning.
The Matadors would put up a pair of single tallies on the scoreboard in support of Braun in the early innings. In the bottom of the second, West singled to start the frame before Joey Kramer doubled and Mason Le hit a sacrifice fly to right field for the Matadors' first run. CSUN doubled its lead in the third inning on a two-out hit from West. After Kai Moody walked and Gabe Gonzalez reached on a hit-by-pitch, West stroked an RBI single through left side for a CSUN 2-0 lead.
The Roadrunners though scratched across a run in the top of the sixth to break up Braun's shutout bid. Hendriks doubled to start the inning but stood at third base with two outs after Braun retired the next two batters. Braun jumped ahead 1-2 in the count against Miller but delivered a wild pitch that went far enough away from home plate to score Hendriks.Â
Braun pitched around a two-out walk in the top of the seventh and struck out Nick Salas for his final out of the game.
Martinez took over on the mound in the eighth and helped keep the Roadrunners at bay with a shutout frame. Despite a leadoff double from Aaron Casillas, Martinez sat down the next three batters in a row to leave the tying run at third base.
GAME NOTES
Braun finished with a career-high seven strikeouts while he tied a season-best seven innings pitched. Schriever, who recorded the final two outs of the game, picked up his 12th career win with the Matadors.
Andrew Sojka collected a leadoff single in the third inning to extend his on-base streak to 23 games. Le's home run was his fourth of the season, which also snapped a 0-for-13 skid at the plate.
The win was head coach Dave Serrano's 499th career win.
ACCORDING TO COACH DAVE SERRANO
"We all know this is a very offensive ballpark. Today it wasn't offensive with the way the winds were blowing. It was probably a day where it was fun to pitch. I don't want to take anything away from Lucas, he established three or four pitches in the strike zone and was really good with it. Martinez came in and did a good job but AJ Miller hits it good in the ninth inning. We're going fastball away and [Miller] did a great job of letting the ball get deep and he hits it off the foul pole to tie the game. What shows me maturity out of Xavier Martinez is he gives up the home run but gets the next big out. That always tells me a lot of the character of somebody. He just gave up something devastating and he gets the next out. Then we go to Schriever because I felt he was a better matchup in that situation to those right-handed hitters. He closed the door and then the dramatic hit in the ninth inning. Coach Cornejo said it perfectly, I don't think [Le] was trying to hit the ball out, he was just trying to get a good swing on the ball. He got the ball elevated and hit a line drive out of the ballpark.
"Exciting day for us, exciting weekend, we got two walk-offs. We hadn't done that all year. But I really tip my cap to Bakersfield. I thought they played their tails off this weekend. It took everything we had to win that series."
UP NEXT
CSUN hits the road for a pair of non-conference midweek games first starting with a Tuesday matchup at USC. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
#UniteTheValley
Â
A Conversation With Dave Serrano
Friday, May 15
Baseball HC reveal 2019
Sunday, June 23
National Student-Athlete Day 2019 - Jayson Newman
Friday, April 05
CSUN Baseball - 27 Miles
Friday, November 09