CSUN's Late Rally Falls Short in 5-4 Defeat to Portland

Wednesday, February 18

Northridge, Calif.

3:00 p.m.

California State University at Northridge

3-1

Portland

2-2

Portland

CSUN

Photo by: Chuck Marvel

CSUN's Late Rally Falls Short in 5-4 Defeat to Portland

2/18/2026 7:03:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Baseball scored four times over the final three frames but fell just short in a 5-4 loss to Portland on Wednesday at Robert J. Hiegert Field. Trent Abel blasted his first homer of the season, a two-run shot in the seventh. On the mound, relievers Jack Jones and Lucas Alaniz combined to work the final 8.1 innings, allowing two runs with 10 strikeouts.

HOW IT HAPPENED
CSUN would have to play behind at the start of the ballgame. In the top of the first, the Pilots loaded the bases with out before pushing across a run on a fielder's choice. The damage though would be done moments later as Portland picked up back-to-back RBI hits to stretch the lead to 3-0 out of the gate. From there, CSUN went to its bullpen and turned the ball over to freshman Jack Jones.

In his first career collegiate outing, Jones would give CSUN a huge lift out in slowing the Pilot offense. Jones struck out Carter Stewart to end the top of the first while he pitched around a leadoff hit in the second. Portland scratched across runs in the third and fifth innings against the left hander, but Jones managed to work 4.1 innings, scattering four hits as he kept CSUN within striking distance.

CSUN handed the baton to Alaniz in the sixth and the right hander proceeded to shut down Portland entirely. Over four dominant innings, Alaniz allowed just one base runner and no hits as he totaled six strikeouts. The only blemish against Alaniz's stat line came in the seventh when Portland drew a leadoff walk, however, catcher Jehee Lee would later throw out the base runner at second base.

On the flip side, the Matador offense would be held in check by starter Carter Gastin. CSUN managed just two singles over the first four innings while Gastin induced an inning-ending double platy to end the bottom of the fourth. Gastin worked around a leadoff walk in the fifth before exiting with one out in the sixth. The Matadors had a base runner to start the sixth but that runner was erased on another double play to end the frame.

CSUN trailed 5-0 heading to the bottom of the seventh when the Matadors turned to the long ball. After Kyle Panganiban singled to start the inning, Abel smacked a two-out, two-run homer to left to cut the deficit to 5-2.

The Matadors pulled closer in the eighth when three straight one-out walks loaded the bases. Panganiban followed with a grounder to short but the ball was mishandled, allowing a run to score. CSUN then picked up another walk, this time by Matthew Thomas to force in a run and make it a 5-4 game. However, moments later, CSUN's rally would be squashed on a double play as Matthew Pena bounced into a 4-6-3 twin killing to finish the inning.

In the ninth, CSUN nearly tied the game when Mateo Rickman drove a long fly to the warning track in left field, but the ball was caught. Still though with two outs, Colton Boardman reached on a hit by pitch and Lee singled to bring Vaughn Coleman to the plate. Coleman battled to a 3-2 count but reliever Alex Via induced a groundout to third to end the ballgame.

NOTES OF THE GAME

CSUN dropped to 3-1 on the season while Portland improved to 2-2.
Jones had four strikeouts to go with his 4.1 innings of work on the mound.
Alaniz also made his Matador debut in the game.
Lee finished 1-for-2 and two walks out of the ninth spot.
Abel's home run was his third of his career.
The quartet of Panganiban, Pena, Coleman and Thomas have reached safely in all four games this season.

ACCORDING TO COACH EDDIE CORNEJO
"It all starts on the mound. We didn't get a good start out of Zach [Johnson] and that put us behind the eight ball, but even still, no excuse offensively. It took us six innings to put something together. You're just not going to win many games like that. I'm proud of the way they finished the game. They didn't stop competing. It was just a little bit too late.

"I'm proud of Jack. He's been competitive. I kick myself for not getting him the start. Alaniz had a great showing out of the bullpen, and he kept us in it. Great job by them. We had eight innings of quality pitching."

UP NEXT
The Matadors hit the road for the first time this season when CSUN visits Saint Mary's in a weekend series in Moraga, Calif. The opener is set for Friday at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.

#GoMatadors