Adam Nikolic had four of Cal State Northridge's 18 hits and Matthew Larson
allowed just a run over seven innings as the No. 23 Matadors beat 11th-ranked
Cal State Fullerton, 12-3, Sunday to sweep the three-game Big West Conference
series at Goodwin Field.
The Titans, who had not been swept at home since 1993 by Long Beach State,
fell to 29-15 overall and 10-5 in conference play. Fullerton had been
swept just once in Coach Horton's five-plus years – at No. 1 Stanford
to open the 2000 season. The first-place Matadors, who have won seven
consecutive games, improved to 32-13 and 12-3. They lead UC Irvine, which
swept Long Beach State, by a game-and-a-half and Fullerton by two games.
The Matadors escaped with narrow victories on Friday (2-1) and Saturday
(8-6 in 10 innings), but left little doubt after staking a 7-1 lead through
the first two innings on Sunday. Titan starter Jordan DeJong (7-3), who
lasted 4.2 innings, was victimized for nine hits and five of the seven
runs he allowed were earned.
The top four hitters in the Northridge lineup – Ryan Haag, Jason
Gorman, Shaun Larkin and Eric Verbryke – combined to go 12-for-19
with six RBI and all 12 Matador runs. Nikolic was the other major contributor,
collecting a pair of doubles among his four hits (which came in his first
four at bats).
Larson (4-2), who filled in for Andy Davidson who closed out Saturday's
extra-inning game, scattered seven hits and walked just one over seven
innings. After Richie Burgos singled in a run in the first, Larson faced
just three batters over the minimum the rest of the afternoon. Fullerton
scored its other two runs on Northridge reliever Scott Robertson in the
eighth.
Fullerton will renew its rivalry with UC Irvine – which reinstated
its baseball program after a nine-year hiatus – next weekend, when
the Titans travel to Anteater Ballpark for a three-game series. Northridge
will travel to Stockton for a series with Pacific.
