Tuesday, April 23
Fresno, Calif.
6:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
24-14
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Fresno State
25-25
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CSUN
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Fresno State
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Photo by: Chuck Marvel
Offense Leads CSUN to 15-2 Win at Fresno State
4/23/2024 9:30:00 PM | Baseball
FRESNO, Calif.---CSUN Baseball racked up 19 hits including seven extra base hits in a 15-2 victory over Fresno State on Tuesday at Bob Bennett Stadium. Kamau Neighbors finished 3-for-5 with four RBI and a homer while Jakob Simons blasted his 15th homer of the season. CSUN's bullpen combined to work five innings with just one run allowed.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
The Matadors jumped on Fresno State in the first inning and never looked back on Tuesday evening. After a Shunsuke Sakaino single in the first inning with one out, Simons blasted a two-run home run. The Matadors though were far from done. A Nathan Barraza single followed by an RBI double from Andrew Gauna added to the lead while Andrew Sojka capped a four-run first with an RBI single.
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CSUN would stretch its lead to six in the top of the second. Sakaino again set the table with a one-out double before a Simons walk followed by an infield single from Jarren Sanderson produced another run. Barraza then made it a 6-0 game with an RBI single of his own.
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After Neighbors extended the lead to 7-0 on a two-out RBI single in the third, the Bulldogs got on the scoreboard with a single tally in the bottom of the third.
The Fresno State run would be the only blemish against freshman starter Destin Allen-Fox in the contest. Allen-Fox, who struck out four over the first two innings, retired the final four batters he faced before turning the ball over to the bullpen.
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The Matadors' offense exploded again in the fourth inning with their biggest scoring output yet. All with two outs, Gauna collected an RBI single then Sojka blasted a triple to left center field for CSUN's ninth run. Two batters later, Mason Le would notch an RBI single of his own before Neighbors capped off the inning with a three-run homer for a 13-1 lead.
Fresno State got a run back in the bottom of the fifth on a homer from Bobby Blandford. CSUN's bullpen though would shut down the Bulldogs the rest of the way. Gabriel Hernandez took over in the sixth where he stranded two base runners before he retired a pair in the seventh. The Matadors also picked up a shutout frame from Gerald Hanson and Neil Feist in the late innings.
CSUN's bench would get into the scoring act in the top of the seventh where Trent Abel and Jehee Lee picked up RBI doubles to extend the lead to 15-2.
NOTES OF THE GAME
ACCORDING TO COACH EDDIE CORNEJO
"We were aggressive at the plate today and it paid off up and down the lineup. It definitely set the tone for us, and Destin Allen-Fox kept the momentum on our side for the majority of the game. It was good to get some things our way after a marathon game last Sunday."
UP NEXT
CSUN returns home for a three-game Big West series with Cal State Bakersfield. The opener is set for Friday at 3 p.m. on ESPN+.
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#GoMatadors
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HOW IT HAPPENED
The Matadors jumped on Fresno State in the first inning and never looked back on Tuesday evening. After a Shunsuke Sakaino single in the first inning with one out, Simons blasted a two-run home run. The Matadors though were far from done. A Nathan Barraza single followed by an RBI double from Andrew Gauna added to the lead while Andrew Sojka capped a four-run first with an RBI single.
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CSUN would stretch its lead to six in the top of the second. Sakaino again set the table with a one-out double before a Simons walk followed by an infield single from Jarren Sanderson produced another run. Barraza then made it a 6-0 game with an RBI single of his own.
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After Neighbors extended the lead to 7-0 on a two-out RBI single in the third, the Bulldogs got on the scoreboard with a single tally in the bottom of the third.
The Fresno State run would be the only blemish against freshman starter Destin Allen-Fox in the contest. Allen-Fox, who struck out four over the first two innings, retired the final four batters he faced before turning the ball over to the bullpen.
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The Matadors' offense exploded again in the fourth inning with their biggest scoring output yet. All with two outs, Gauna collected an RBI single then Sojka blasted a triple to left center field for CSUN's ninth run. Two batters later, Mason Le would notch an RBI single of his own before Neighbors capped off the inning with a three-run homer for a 13-1 lead.
Fresno State got a run back in the bottom of the fifth on a homer from Bobby Blandford. CSUN's bullpen though would shut down the Bulldogs the rest of the way. Gabriel Hernandez took over in the sixth where he stranded two base runners before he retired a pair in the seventh. The Matadors also picked up a shutout frame from Gerald Hanson and Neil Feist in the late innings.
CSUN's bench would get into the scoring act in the top of the seventh where Trent Abel and Jehee Lee picked up RBI doubles to extend the lead to 15-2.
NOTES OF THE GAME
- CSUN improves to 24-14 on the season with five-straight wins while Fresno State slips to 25-15.
- In total, 11 Matadors had at least one hit in the game while nine scored runs and nine recorded an RBI.
- Gauna finished with three hits to go with two RBI. Sakaino, Barraza, Sojka and Lee had two hits each as well.
- Simons' 15th home run is a new career high while he has now homered 29 times over his career.
- Allen-Fox worked four innings, allowing a run on four hits to go with five strikeouts.
- Hernandez was credited with the win as he worked 1.2 innings with no runs allowed and two strikeouts.
ACCORDING TO COACH EDDIE CORNEJO
"We were aggressive at the plate today and it paid off up and down the lineup. It definitely set the tone for us, and Destin Allen-Fox kept the momentum on our side for the majority of the game. It was good to get some things our way after a marathon game last Sunday."
UP NEXT
CSUN returns home for a three-game Big West series with Cal State Bakersfield. The opener is set for Friday at 3 p.m. on ESPN+.
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#GoMatadors
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hernandez, Gabriel (2-0)
L: ARMSTRONG, Bryce (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Sakaino, Shunsuke 1 ; Abel, Trent 1 ; Lee, Jehee 1 ; Gauna, Andrew 1
3B: Sojka, Andrew 1
HR: Neighbors, Kamau 1 ; Simons, Jakob 1
RBI: Neighbors, Kamau 4 ; Abel, Trent 1 ; Simons, Jakob 2 ; Lee, Jehee 1 ; Sanderson, Jarren 1 ; Barraza, Nathan 1 ; Gauna, Andrew 2 ; Sojka, Andrew 2 ; Le, Mason 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Neighbors, Kamau 2 ; Sakaino, Shunsuke 2 ; Abel, Trent 1 ; Simons, Jakob 3 ; Barraza, Nathan 1 ; Gauna, Andrew 2 ; Sojka, Andrew 1 ; Stewart, Conner 1 ; Le, Mason 2
SB: Simons, Jakob 1 ; Le, Mason 1
HBP: Simons, Jakob 1
Batting:
2B: SALDIVAR, Eddie 1 ; PEPPI, Rocco 1 ; HOPFE, Tommy 1
HR: BLANDFORD, Bobby 1
RBI: HOPFE, Tommy 1 ; BLANDFORD, Bobby 1
Base Running:
RUNS: SALDIVAR, Eddie 1 ; BLANDFORD, Bobby 1
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H
3
RBI
4
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
2
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
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