Reports From LBSU
Joey Terdoslavich hit his team-best seventh home run of the season but it wasn’t enough as Long Beach State dropped an 11-2 decision in a Big West Conference game at Cal State Northridge Saturday.
Terdoslavich led the Dirtbags going 2-for-4 with the home run and two RBI. His two RBI gave him 43 for the season tying Steve Tinoco for the team lead. Tinoco, Jordan Casas, Derek Legg, Kirk Singer and Kellen Hoime each had one hit for LBSU (22-28, 7-13 Big West).
C.J. Belanger paced Cal State Northridge (27-23, 8-12 Big West) going 4-for-4 with three RBI. Drew Muren and Dominic D’Anna each added two hits and two RBI, while Ryan Pineda had three hits and an RBI.
The Matadors jumped on the Dirtbags in the first inning scoring a pair of runs, thanks in part, to a two walks and an error. Belanger gave CSUN a 1-0 lead when he scored when Branden Pinder walked Alex Muren. Justin DeMarko followed with an RBI on a fielder’s choice scoring Pineda to make it 2-0.
Things didn’t get any better for the Dirtbags in the second inning. The Matadors chased Pinder after he gave up two more hits and hit a batter in the inning before being replaced by Nate Underwood. Ridge Carpenter led off the inning with a hit and moved to second when T.S Reed was hit by a pitch. Muren followed with an RBI single to right field scoring Carpenter. Belanger made it 4-0 with a sacrifice fly to center field scoring Reed. Pinder, making his first Saturday start, was charged with four runs (three earned) on four hits with two walks and a hit batter.
The Matadors built their lead to 6-0 with two more runs in the fourth off Underwood. Carpenter opened the inning with a single and came around to score on a one-out triple by Muren. Belanger followed with an RBI single scoring Muren.
CSUN added three more runs in the sixth inning to extend its lead to 9-0. Reed laced an RBI double to left center field scoring Carpenter who led off the inning and was hit by a pitch. Belanger added a one-out RBI single scoring Reed and then came home on a RBI single by D’Anna.
Terdoslavich cut the lead to 9-2 in the top of the seventh with his two-run shot scoring Tinoco. Singer and Legg followed Terdoslavich’s homer with back-to-back singles, but the Dirtbags rally ended when Matador starter Justen Gorski retired the next three hitters.
The Matadors tacked on the final two runs in the bottom of the eighth off of Troy Watson. Belanger and Pineda opened the inning with back-to-back doubles before D’Anna singled to score Pineda.
Gorski (5-2) got the win pitching a career-high seven innings, while giving up just two runs on seven hits with three strikeouts. Pinder (4-7) took the loss.