Sunday, March 30
Northridge, Calif.
1:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
6-17, 3-9
10
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14
Hawai'i
20-6, 8-4
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Hawai'i
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CSUN
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Photo by: Chuck Marvel
CSUN Falls to Hawai'i on Ninth-Inning Rally
3/30/2025 4:36:00 PM | Baseball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Baseball dropped the rubber game of its weekend series with Hawai'i 14-10 on Sunday afternoon at Robert J. Hiegert Field. Freshman Xavier Rios belted two home runs and drove in five out of the nine spot in the batting order while Will Linberg and Cameron Calvillo drove in two runs apiece. The loss spoiled a quality start from Max Mendes who allowed three runs over six innings to go with four strikeouts. Hawai'i would rally in the ninth, erasing a six-run deficit in taking the series.
HOW IT HAPPENED
CSUN picked up clutch two-out hitting throughout the afternoon against Hawai'i pitching. In the second inning, CSUN got on the scoreboard first when Calvillo delivered a two-out RBI single to plate Trent Abel for a 1-0 lead.
The Matadors began another rally in the third inning with two outs. CSUN set up the scoring chance by Andrew Becker singling and Jarren Sanderson reaching on a hit by pitch. Linberg followed with an opposite field two-run double to stretch the lead to 3-0 through three innings.
Mendes would keep the Hawai'i bats off balanced during his time on the mound. The freshman allowed just three walks through the first four frames with only one base runner reaching scoring position.
Held hitless through four innings, Hawai'i finally got its offense going when Kamana Nahaku hit a solo home run to lead off the fifth. After Mendes surrendered a single to Draven Nushida, Kedren Kinzie stroked a two-run homer to quickly tie the game at 3-3. To his credit, Mendes would bounce back to retire the next three batters in the fifth and another three in a row in the sixth inning.
The game remained tied until the bottom of the sixth where CSUN began another two out rally. With a runner on first base and two outs, Matthew Pena drew a walk and Calvillo came through with a base hit to right to put CSUN ahead once more. Rios followed next and battled to a 3-2 count before blasting a three-run homer to left to extend the lead to 7-3.
After Hawai'i got a run back in the seventh, the Matadors would add three insurance runs in the eighth. Pena knocked in another run with an RBI double to left while Rios came up with another big swing with two outs, a two-run homer to left field that made it a 10-4 game.
CSUN took a six-run lead to the ninth, but the Matadors were unable to get the final three outs to seal the win. Hawai'i took advantage of a single, a walk and a hit batter in loading the bases with nobody out before Nushida hit a grand slam to right field. Logan Miller entered the fray, looking to slow the Hawai'i uprising, but four of the next five batters reached base. Shunsuke Sakaino would tie the game up with a two-run homer while Miura put the Rainbow Warriors ahead with an RBI double. For good measure, Nahaku hit his third homer of the game to cap a 10-run inning for Hawai'i.
NOTES OF THE GAME
ACCCORDING TO COACH EDDIE CORNEJO
"You could only lose the same way over and over before you go crazy, so we're going to focus on the positives like Max's start. As a true freshman trying to win a series, he gave us the best chance to win. We kept fighting offensively, and we did it in a variety of ways. We took chances on the bases and were successful. The last inning is something you have to throw your hands up and just keep fighting tomorrow."
UP NEXT
CSUN will play a pair of midweek games on the road beginning with a Tuesday contest at Saint Mary's at 3 p.m. A day later, the Matadors will travel to San Francisco with first pitch set for 2 p.m.
#GoMatadors
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HOW IT HAPPENED
CSUN picked up clutch two-out hitting throughout the afternoon against Hawai'i pitching. In the second inning, CSUN got on the scoreboard first when Calvillo delivered a two-out RBI single to plate Trent Abel for a 1-0 lead.
The Matadors began another rally in the third inning with two outs. CSUN set up the scoring chance by Andrew Becker singling and Jarren Sanderson reaching on a hit by pitch. Linberg followed with an opposite field two-run double to stretch the lead to 3-0 through three innings.
Mendes would keep the Hawai'i bats off balanced during his time on the mound. The freshman allowed just three walks through the first four frames with only one base runner reaching scoring position.
Held hitless through four innings, Hawai'i finally got its offense going when Kamana Nahaku hit a solo home run to lead off the fifth. After Mendes surrendered a single to Draven Nushida, Kedren Kinzie stroked a two-run homer to quickly tie the game at 3-3. To his credit, Mendes would bounce back to retire the next three batters in the fifth and another three in a row in the sixth inning.
The game remained tied until the bottom of the sixth where CSUN began another two out rally. With a runner on first base and two outs, Matthew Pena drew a walk and Calvillo came through with a base hit to right to put CSUN ahead once more. Rios followed next and battled to a 3-2 count before blasting a three-run homer to left to extend the lead to 7-3.
After Hawai'i got a run back in the seventh, the Matadors would add three insurance runs in the eighth. Pena knocked in another run with an RBI double to left while Rios came up with another big swing with two outs, a two-run homer to left field that made it a 10-4 game.
CSUN took a six-run lead to the ninth, but the Matadors were unable to get the final three outs to seal the win. Hawai'i took advantage of a single, a walk and a hit batter in loading the bases with nobody out before Nushida hit a grand slam to right field. Logan Miller entered the fray, looking to slow the Hawai'i uprising, but four of the next five batters reached base. Shunsuke Sakaino would tie the game up with a two-run homer while Miura put the Rainbow Warriors ahead with an RBI double. For good measure, Nahaku hit his third homer of the game to cap a 10-run inning for Hawai'i.
NOTES OF THE GAME
- CSUN drops to 6-17 overall and 3-9 in Big West play while Hawai'i improves to 20-6 overall and 8-4 in conference.
- Rios' two home runs were the first of his CSUN career while his five RBI were also a personal best.
- Calvillo finished with five hits in the Hawai'i series after posting his two hits on Sunday.
- Mendes' six innings of work and four strikeouts were season highs.
ACCCORDING TO COACH EDDIE CORNEJO
"You could only lose the same way over and over before you go crazy, so we're going to focus on the positives like Max's start. As a true freshman trying to win a series, he gave us the best chance to win. We kept fighting offensively, and we did it in a variety of ways. We took chances on the bases and were successful. The last inning is something you have to throw your hands up and just keep fighting tomorrow."
UP NEXT
CSUN will play a pair of midweek games on the road beginning with a Tuesday contest at Saint Mary's at 3 p.m. A day later, the Matadors will travel to San Francisco with first pitch set for 2 p.m.
#GoMatadors
Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Isaiah Magdaleno (3-0)
L: Hernandez, Gabriel (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Matthew Miura 1
HR: Shunsuke Sakaino 1 ; Kamana Nahaku 3 ; Draven Nushida 1 ; Kedren Kinzie 1
RBI: Shunsuke Sakaino 2 ; Matthew Miura 1 ; Jared Quandt 1 ; Kamana Nahaku 4 ; Draven Nushida 4 ; Kedren Kinzie 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Shunsuke Sakaino 1 ; Jordan Donahue 1 ; Matthew Miura 1 ; Ben Zeigler-Namoa 1 ; Jared Quandt 2 ; Kamana Nahaku 4 ; Draven Nushida 2 ; Kedren Kinzie 1 ; Aidan Kuni 1
SB: Jared Quandt 1
HBP: Kamana Nahaku 1
Batting:
2B: Linberg, Will 2 ; Pena, Matthew 1
HR: Rios, Xavier 2
RBI: Linberg, Will 2 ; Pena, Matthew 1 ; Calvillo, Cameron 2 ; Rios, Xavier 5
SH: Abel, Trent 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Becker, Andrew 1 ; Sanderson, Jarren 2 ; Linberg, Will 1 ; Abel, Trent 1 ; Pena, Matthew 2 ; Calvillo, Cameron 1 ; Rios, Xavier 2
SB: Sanderson, Jarren 1 ; Abel, Trent 1 ; Calvillo, Cameron 1
HBP: Panganiban, Kyle 1 ; Sanderson, Jarren 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
5
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
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RHP
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RHP
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1B/DH
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INF
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