CSUN Holds Off Cal State Fullerton 5-3 to Take Series Opener

Friday, March 20

Fullerton, Calif.

6:30 p.m.

California State University at Northridge

12-9, 0

Cal State Fullerton

10-11, 0

CSUN

Cal State Fullerton

Photo by: Chuck Marvel

CSUN Holds Off Cal State Fullerton 5-3 to Take Series Opener

3/20/2026 11:07:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

FULLERTON, Calif.---CSUN Baseball received seven quality innings from Gabriel Hernandez and timely hitting throughout the night en route to a 5-3 win over Cal State Fullerton on Friday at Goodwin Field. Hernandez allowed two runs, one of which earned while striking out seven batters.

At the plate, freshman Mateo Rickman drove in four of the five Matador runs and belted his first career homer while Kyle Panganiban recorded a career-high five hits. CSUN scored all five of its runs with two outs in the victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED
CSUN gave Hernandez a bit of run support in the early going, plating a run in the top of the first when Matthew Pena delivered a two-out RBI single to bring home Panganiban. The Matadors though had a runner thrown out on the base paths to end the first inning while the team was denied a run in the second inning when an interference call led to a double play and two Matador runners stranded.

Despite being held to one run through early innings, the Matadors maintained a lead thanks to solid pitching from Hernandez. The right hander kept the Titans hitless through the first 3.2 innings and without a run through four frames.

The Matadors would get back into the scoring column in the fifth when Rickman belted a two-run homer over the scoreboard in left field.

Trailing 3-0 in the fifth, the Titans benefited from a Matador error to plate an unearned run. After Hernandez retired the final two batters of the fifth, Fullerton pushed across another run in the sixth inning behind a two-out RBI double from Nick Miller.

CSUN would respond with more two-out hitting in the seventh inning to pick up two key insurance runs. After the first batter was retired to start the frame, Thomas and Panganiban each collected singles. CSUN executed a pivotal double steal with Rickman at the plate, leading to the Matador freshman coming through with a two-run single to right field to extend to a 5-2 lead.

Near 100 pitches thrown on the night, Hernandez marched back to the mound in the bottom of the seventh, retiring three of four batters including striking out Burdick for his final out of the ballgame.

The Matador bullpen took over in the eighth, surrendering a solo home run to Cameron Kim with one out. However, reliever Kody King pitched around two more hits in the inning to keep CSUN ahead 5-3.

In the ninth, Jaiden Turner would not let the Titans get any closer. The right hander put forth a dominant inning, striking out all three batters he faced swinging to nail down his first save of the season.

NOTES OF THE GAME

CSUN improves to 12-9 overall and 3-4 in conference while Cal State Fullerton drops to 10-11 overall and 5-2 in conference.
Panganiban's five-hit game is the first for a Matador this season. He also scored three runs and doubled on the night.
Colton Boardman, who went 2-for-3, extended his hit streak to seven games.
Pena has now hit safely in six straight games after going 1-for-4.
Rickman's four RBI set a new season high.

ACCORDING TO COACH EDDIE CORNEJO
"Gabe twisted his angle this morning and battled through a gritty performance. We passed the baton to our bullpen, and they did a great job of throwing strikes and utilizing their defense. Mateo Rickman continues to see the ball well and put good swings together. He doesn't act like a freshman in the batter's box. Overall, a solid win on the road."

UP NEXT
CSUN goes for the series victory as the Matadors take on Cal State Fullerton in game two of their weekend series on Saturday at 5 p.m. on ESPN+.

#GoMatadors