The CSUN baseball team got back on the winning track Tuesday afternoon at Matador Field as they downed the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners 3-1 in a non-Big West Conference game.’
On the mound for the Matadors (15-20) was sophomore pitcher Paul Tremlin (4-1), who was credited with the win in a game in which he pitched three innings, giving up no earned runs and allowing only two hits.
CSUN got all the offense they needed in the bottom of the third inning after both second baseman Justin DeMarco and shortstop TS Reed scored to give the Matadors a 2-0 lead.
In the top of the sixth inning, the Roadrunners put up a run to cut the lead in half, but ultimately the Matadors ran away with the game as closing pitcher Brian Slover earned his fourth save of the season as CSUN cruised to a 3-1 victory.
The win was crucial for the team’s confidence as they’ve struggled recently in conference play, dropping five of the last six games.’ ‘
The upcoming series against Long Beach State this weekend is a must-win for a CSUN team that has struggled on the road this season. They’re 0-11 away from Northridge.
‘We’ve got to play good baseball.’ That comes down to throwing strikes, playing catch and putting the ball in play,’ Head Coach Steve Rousey said. ‘We’ve given ourselves the chance to win recently and we want to continue doing that and hope we can execute at the end of the game to get over the top.’
Some of the Matadors were given the day off, including designated hitter Todd Eskelin and catcher John Parham.’ Parham has been an effective leader this season, making big plays when the team really needs them.
‘Coming into conference play, we always expect a team to play their best ball,’ Parham said. ‘We just got to bring our game to them in all aspects.’
The Matadors are 3-6 in the Big West, which isn’t bad considering the second-place Cal Poly Mustangs have a record of 5-4. UC Irvine is ahead of everyone. The Anteaters are 8-1.
The first game of the series against the 49ers starts Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Blair Field. For live updates, follow our blog ‘The Matador Score.’
