After Friday’s game was rained out, the CSUN’s baseball team was able to sweep Saturday’s doubleheader against the Cal Poly Mustangs with a 7-2 win in the first game and a 5-3 victory in the second game.
Both victories came with the absence of a working scoreboard so the Matadors record can be chalked up as 2-0 win.
“I think we were clearer today at the plate than I’ve seen us in awhile and we had some great takes,” said coach Greg Moore.
In game one, the Matadors were powered by a strong fourth inning that gave them five runs.
Sophomore outfielder Elias Orona hit a two-run home run to make the score 5-2 in the fourth.
Sophomore starting pitcher Kenny Rosenberg went 3 2/3 innings and gave up five hits and four walks.
Senior pitcher Nick Viola was the key contributor of the first game pitching 5.1 scoreless innings, while allowing two hits to go along with four strikeouts.
“I just went out there and did my job; I knew the situation I was coming into and really just wanted to get the job done for my team,” Viola said when talking about his pitching performance.
“I just kept going after their hitters and just pounding the zone.”
Timely hitting and clutch pitching were the tales of both games seeing that the Matadors were able to hold the Mustangs in check for long stretches.
“Nick was gutty; he just stayed out there, he found a rhythm [and] he did a good job against left-handers,” Moore said. “You can’t say enough for what he did– he saved our pen.”
The Matadors were also able to have big offensive innings that allowed them to blow the games wide open.
In the second game, senior starting pitcher Angel Rodriguez pitched six strong innings of three-run ball to earn a quality start, while also giving his team a chance by keeping the score close.
The Matadors scored three runs to take a decisive lead in the seventh inning to overcome a 3-1 deficit.
Senior outfielder Branden Berry hit an RBI double to score two runs to give the Matadors a 4-3 lead in the seventh. A lead they would not relinquish.
“We’re going to keep grinding to the last pitch and that’s something we talk about as a team and we’re just going to continue to do that,” Berry said when speaking on the Matadors’ resilience as a team.
Later, the Matadors tacked on an insurance run in the eighth inning on an RBI double by Orona.
Junior pitcher Conner O’Neil slammed the door to any chance of scoring, striking out three in two scoreless innings to get the save.
The Matadors will look to complete their sweep of the Mustangs, Sunday at 1 p.m.
