California State University Northridge Athletics
Sunday, April 7
Salt Lake City, Utah
6:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
17-12
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4
Utah
21-9
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CSUN
5
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4
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Utah
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Photo by: Chuck Marvel
CSUN Powers Its Way to 18-4 Win at Utah
4/7/2024 10:22:00 PM | Baseball
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah---CSUN Baseball racked up 18 hits along with seven extra base hits in an 18-4 victory at Utah on Sunday night at Smith's Ballpark. Kevin Fitzer drove in a career-high six runs and homered for the ninth time this season while Jakob Simons had three hits and five RBI along with his 10th homer of the year. Andrew Gauna added three RBI and four hits and Kamau Neighbors scored three times and had three hits.
The Matadors' margin of victory is tied for their largest against a Pac-12 team overall in team history while they set a new record for the largest margin of victory on the road versus a Pac-12 opponent.
HOW IT HAPPENED
CSUN sent 10 hitters to the plate in the top of the first to take the lead at the outset. The first two hitters would reach base to kick off the inning before Simons delivered an RBI single. After Fitzer hit an RBI groundout to score Will Linberg, the Matadors loaded the bases for Gauna who stroked a two-run single. Mason Le capped off the inning with an RBI single for a 5-0 lead after one-half inning.
Justin Vose, who earned the Sunday start, would pitch around a pair of hits and three wild pitches in the bottom of the first. The Utes scored a run on an RBI groundout from Kai Roberts, but Vose stranded two base runners in the frame.
CSUN quickly got the run back in the top of the second after Will Linberg hit a leadoff double and later scored on a wild pitch. Neighbors added to the lead with a two-out RBI double in the top of the third to plate Gauna.
The Matadors though were far from done scoring. In the fourth, Simons belted a leadoff solo home run while the Matadors added four more in the fifth, highlighted by a three-run blast from Fitzer to extend the lead to 12-1.
Vose would bounce back after the first inning to blank the Utes over the next three frames as he retired 10 of 11 batters. The Utes broke that string on a solo homer from Hunter Antillon in the fifth. However, Vose sat down the next three Utah batters before giving way to the bullpen.
After CSUN was shut out for the first time on the night in the sixth, the Matadors plated two more runs in the seventh on a two-out double from Fitzer that scored Simons and Linberg.
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The bats came alive again in the top of the eighth as four more runs would come across on four hits. Gauna drove in another run on an infield single before Simons delivered with two outs on a three-run double to left center field.
CSUN's bullpen surrendered single tallies in the seventh and eighth. but the runs were not enough to make a dent into the big lead.
NOTES OF THE GAME
ACCORDING TO COACH EDDIE CORNEJO
"I'm proud how our team responded after a loss on Friday and being snowed out Saturday. They arrived early today to support and watch CSUN alumni pitcher Kenny Rosenberg start for the AAA Salt Lake Bees. It was great seeing a former Matador compete at the highest level. He told us after the game that he really wanted us to win big tonight, so we did it for him.
"We came out aggressive offensively and really never let up. Vose threw strikes and delivered outs when we needed him to."
UP NEXT
CSUN returns home for the start of a four-game homestand starting Tuesday against California Baptist at 3 p.m.
#GoMatadors
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The Matadors' margin of victory is tied for their largest against a Pac-12 team overall in team history while they set a new record for the largest margin of victory on the road versus a Pac-12 opponent.
HOW IT HAPPENED
CSUN sent 10 hitters to the plate in the top of the first to take the lead at the outset. The first two hitters would reach base to kick off the inning before Simons delivered an RBI single. After Fitzer hit an RBI groundout to score Will Linberg, the Matadors loaded the bases for Gauna who stroked a two-run single. Mason Le capped off the inning with an RBI single for a 5-0 lead after one-half inning.
Justin Vose, who earned the Sunday start, would pitch around a pair of hits and three wild pitches in the bottom of the first. The Utes scored a run on an RBI groundout from Kai Roberts, but Vose stranded two base runners in the frame.
CSUN quickly got the run back in the top of the second after Will Linberg hit a leadoff double and later scored on a wild pitch. Neighbors added to the lead with a two-out RBI double in the top of the third to plate Gauna.
The Matadors though were far from done scoring. In the fourth, Simons belted a leadoff solo home run while the Matadors added four more in the fifth, highlighted by a three-run blast from Fitzer to extend the lead to 12-1.
Vose would bounce back after the first inning to blank the Utes over the next three frames as he retired 10 of 11 batters. The Utes broke that string on a solo homer from Hunter Antillon in the fifth. However, Vose sat down the next three Utah batters before giving way to the bullpen.
After CSUN was shut out for the first time on the night in the sixth, the Matadors plated two more runs in the seventh on a two-out double from Fitzer that scored Simons and Linberg.
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The bats came alive again in the top of the eighth as four more runs would come across on four hits. Gauna drove in another run on an infield single before Simons delivered with two outs on a three-run double to left center field.
CSUN's bullpen surrendered single tallies in the seventh and eighth. but the runs were not enough to make a dent into the big lead.
NOTES OF THE GAME
- CSUN improves to 17-12 overall while Utah drops to 21-9.
- All nine Matador starters had at least one run and one hit each on the day.
- Vose earned his first win of the season by tossing five innings, allowing two runs on four hits with five strikeouts.
- Ryan Halamicek worked a shutout frame while Destin Allen-Fox tossed the final 1.1 innings, allowing no runs.
- CSUN's 18-4 win ties the team's largest margin of victory over a Pac-12 team established in 1991 in a 15-1 home win over UCLA.
ACCORDING TO COACH EDDIE CORNEJO
"I'm proud how our team responded after a loss on Friday and being snowed out Saturday. They arrived early today to support and watch CSUN alumni pitcher Kenny Rosenberg start for the AAA Salt Lake Bees. It was great seeing a former Matador compete at the highest level. He told us after the game that he really wanted us to win big tonight, so we did it for him.
"We came out aggressive offensively and really never let up. Vose threw strikes and delivered outs when we needed him to."
UP NEXT
CSUN returns home for the start of a four-game homestand starting Tuesday against California Baptist at 3 p.m.
#GoMatadors
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Vose, Justin (1-0)
L: Porthan, Brett (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Neighbors, Kamau 1 ; Linberg, Will 1 ; Simons, Jakob 1 ; Fitzer, Kevin 1 ; Gauna, Andrew 1
HR: Simons, Jakob 1 ; Fitzer, Kevin 1
RBI: Neighbors, Kamau 1 ; Linberg, Will 1 ; Simons, Jakob 5 ; Fitzer, Kevin 6 ; Gauna, Andrew 3 ; Le, Mason 1
SH: Simons, Jakob 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Neighbors, Kamau 3 ; Linberg, Will 3 ; Simons, Jakob 3 ; Fitzer, Kevin 1 ; Sanderson, Jarren 1 ; Griffin, Ben 1 ; Wilkinson, Bren 1 ; Sakaino, Shunsuke 2 ; Gauna, Andrew 2 ; Le, Mason 1
SB: Fitzer, Kevin 1 ; Wilkinson, Bren 1 ; Gauna, Andrew 1
HBP: Linberg, Will 1
Batting:
2B: Antillon, Hunter 1
3B: Jackson, Core 1
HR: Antillon, Hunter 1
RBI: Jackson, Core 1 ; Roberts, Kai 1 ; Carpenter, Kaden 1 ; Antillon, Hunter 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jackson, Core 1 ; Frei, Landon 1 ; Antillon, Hunter 2
Game Leaders
AB
6
R
2
H
4
RBI
3
3b/2b
AB
5
R
3
H
3
RBI
1
AB
3
R
3
H
3
RBI
5
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
6
Players Mentioned
LHP
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballOF/RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
1B/OF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
LHP
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