CSUN Falls to UCSB on Homer in the Ninth

Saturday, May 18

Northridge, Calif.

2:00 p.m.

California State University at Northridge

29-21, 15-11

#22 UC Santa Barbara

38-12, 22-4

UC Santa Barbara

CSUN

Photo by: Connor Clark

CSUN Falls to UCSB on Homer in the Ninth

5/18/2024 5:39:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Baseball dropped a 4-2 decision to No. 22 UC Santa Barbara on Saturday afternoon at Matador Field. Matador pitching limited the Gauchos to a run over the first seven innings, but UCSB scored three times over the last two frames including twice in the ninth to break a 2-2 tie.

HOW IT HAPPENED
A day after UCSB scored 14 in a game one win, Ryan Halamicek would limit UCSB to a run over his four-plus innings of work. The freshman right hander pitched around a two-out hit in the first, but the Gauchos threatened in the second after a pair of hits as well as a catcher's interference call loaded the bases with one out. Halamicek though was up for the challenge, striking out Reiss Calvin then retiring Ivan Brethowr on a flyout.

Halamicek surrendered a leadoff single in the third but induced a 6-4-3 double play moments later in another scoreless inning. He would go on to retire the side in order in the top of the fourth.

UCSB's Mike Gutierrez retired the first six Matador hitters to begin the game, but Jarren Sanderson broke that string with a leaoff hit in the third. After a Shunsuke Sakaino sacrifice hit, Ben Griffin singled to put runners at the corners. Kamau Neighbors followed with a squeeze bunt, scoring Sanderson for a CSUN 1-0 lead.

The Matadors added another run in the fourth for a 2-0 lead. Jakob Simons set the table with a leadoff double before advancing to third on a Kevin Fitzer flyout and scoring on a Nathan Barraza groundout.

The Gauchos finally broke through in the fifth as the first three batters reached to load the bases with nobody out. Ryan Wentz relieved Halamicek and induced a flyout off the bat of Jessada Brown. A run scored on a sacrifice fly, but a heads up throw from Simons in center to Sakaino at second base retired Nick Oakley attempting to take the extra base. Wentz then retired Aaron Parker to maintain a 2-1 lead.

Wentz would give CSUN 3.1 strong innings out of the bullpen. The right hander retired eight of nine batters to open his outing on the mound and went on to strand a runner in the seventh.

However, the Gauchos threatened in the eighth after two of the first three batters reached on hits. An intentional walk loaded the bases with one out before Wentz walked in the tying run on a 3-2 pitch. Joshua Romero entered out of the bullpen and needed just one pitch to induce a 4-6-3 double play to keep the game tied at 2-2.

Romero returned to the mound in the ninth and hit the first batter. After striking out Brethowr, Romero delivered a two-base wild pitch on a 1-2 count, allowing Calvin to reach third base. Oakley followed with a two-run homer to left to give UCSB a 4-2 lead.

CSUN put together one last rally in the bottom of the ninth as Sanderson and Will Linberg reached on walks. UCSB's closer Matt Ager though retired Neighbors on a ground out to end the game.

NOTES OF THE GAME

CSUN drops to 29-21 overall and 15-11 in Big West play while UCSB improves to 38-12 and 22-4.
Halamicek worked 4.0 innings, allowing a run on six hits to go with three strikeouts.
Simons has reached base safely in nine in a row after going 1-for-4.

ACCORDING TO COACH EDDIE CORNEJO
"I thought we competed better than yesterday. Our pitching kept us in it. Halamicek had a great start. Wentz picked him up out of the pen and Romero picked up Wentz out of the pen. It's just some details we need to clean up if we want to win these types of games. Offensively, we had something rolling. It wasn't going to be an offensive type of day and we needed that seeing eyed groundball, but we didn't get that."

UP NEXT
CSUN concludes its home schedule on Sunday versus UC Santa Barbara at 1 p.m. The home finale will also be Senior Day with the Matadors celebrating their 10-member senior class before first pitch.

#GoMatadors