CSUN Begins Big West Competition Against #24 UC Irvine

Entering this weekend's series in third place, trailing the Matadors by two wins, UC Irvine will look to reverse their fortunes after having their six-game win streak snapped, and losing a weekend series the first time since 2008 after dropping two of three games against Nevada last weekend.

In their first home series of the 2010 season, Cal State Northridge won their two games at Matador Field in dramatic fashion. With each team grabbing a one-run lead from one another during the first nine innings, a single from Justin DeMarco helped the Matadors win their first home game of the season in the 12th inning by a score of 3-2. With the sun setting and the skies changing from bright blue to pitch black, had DeMarco not drove in the winning run, the game would have been suspended until the following day. Instead, the Matador faithful went home happy that Friday night. 

With Saturday's game in Malibu canced due to rain and rescheduled on Monday, both teams returned to Northridge to close out the weekend series. With the Waves up 5-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth, Northridge scored three runs in each of the last two innings, puncthuated by Ryan Pineda's walk-off, two-run home run to defeat Pepperdine 7-6.

With the wins, CSUN trails the season series by only two games, 39-37, with a chance to tie the overall series and extend their current three-game win streak over the Waves during their two-game stint in Malibu this week. 

I'LL TAKE THAT

With their 16-7 record heading into conference action, CSUN is off to their best 23-game start of a season withiin the Steve Rousey era, topping their previous mark of 12-11-1 set during the 2005 season. The 16-7 record set by the current team is the second-best start of any Northridge baseball team since joining the Big West conference in 2001, tying the mark set by the 2002 Big West Championship-winning squad that compiled a 16-7 record during the first 23 games of their respective season. 

Season Record/Conference

DEUCES ARE WILD

On March 14, 2009 Ryan Pineda hit two home runs in one game, a feat that would take another 365 days to take place once again when shortstop Brad Decater was one of two Matadors (Dominic D'Anna was the other) to hit multiple home runs in one game. It only took two more days for that feat to happen again when Decater became the first Matador in school history to hit two home runs in one game, on two consecutive occasions. 

Justin DeMarco became the latest Matador this season to hit multiple home runs in one game as his two blasts in the Matadors' 10-2 victory over Albany on March 29 helped the third baseman join an ever-expanding list.

LEADING THE WAY

Entering the seventh week of the season, various Matadors can be found atop the Big West Conference in a variety of categories as of March 29th before CSUN faced Albany.

Entering the seventh week of the season, various Matadors can be found atop the Big West Conference in a variety of categories as of March 29th before CSUN faced Albany.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Beginning with their games against Sacramento State and the University at Albany last week, the Matadors began a very home-heavy portion of their schedule.

With their three games against Sacramento State, one game against Albany, and three games against UC Irvine to begin Big West action, the Matadors started a seven-game home-stand, their longest of the season.

In total, 16 of CSUN's 22 games (beginning with last Friday's game against Sacramento State) will take place at Matador Field as Northridge will also face Cal State Bakersfield, San Diego State, Cal Poly, and UC Davis before beginning a season-long seven-game road trip.

The Matadors will compete in six road games from now until May 7th; CSUN will travel to Malibu to face Pepperdine on April 5th (rescheduled game that was originally scheduled to take place on February 27th but postponed due to rain) and 6th and Cal State Bakersfield on April 9th before traveling to Stockton for three games against Pacific from April 23rd-26th.

ON A ROLL

Entering this week's schedule of games, first baseman Dominic D'Anna currently possesses a team-high 16 game hit streak that stretches back to CSUN's eighth game of the season against Connecticut. Were it not for a hitless performance against San Diego last February or the series opener against Connecticut, the first baseman would have earned a hit in every game played this season. 

Tim Arroyo (1999-2002) hold the Northridge record for consecutive games with a hit as the former first baseman hit safely in 25 consecutive games, a streak that began on February 23, 2001 and ended on April 7.

RUNNING INTO THE RECORD BOOKS

With only 23 games played this season, the 2010 Matadors are poised to add their names to the record books. In the Big West Conference, three of the top-ten base-stealers can be found on CSUN's roster; with 15, 13 and eight stolen bases respectively left-fielder Ridge Carpenter, second baseman Ryan Pineda, and centerfielder Drew Muren are on pace to etch their names in the Matador record books as well.

Only 20 bases need to be stolen to crack the top-ten as Craig Warner (1969 season) and Scott Richardson (1991 and `92) are tied for 9th place with 20 steals. As a team, CSUN is second in the conference with 46 stolen bases, trailing only Cal State Fullerton by one bag, and are on-pace to obliterate the current single-season record of 99 bases swiped during the 1999 campaign.  

FEELING GRAND

With one swing of the bat in CSUN's first game of a scheduled doubleheader against Seattle University on March 20, third baseman Justin DeMarco added his name to an ever-expanding list of Matadors who have hit a grand slam this season. The very next day, as part of a two-home run performance in last Sunday's game, second baseman Ryan Pineda emptied the bases with his second career grand slam. Including centerfield Drew Muren, who hit a game-winning grand slam in CSUN's come-from-behind victory against #11 East Carolina. The three grand slams are the most hit in any one season, a new program record.

THIRD TIME IS THE CHARM

With his two-run home run hit last Monday against Albany, Ryan Pineda became the first Matador on-record to hit a home run in three consecutive games as the second baseman hit the long ball in the final two games of CSUN's series against Sacramento State as well.

BREAK OUT THE BROOMS

In the final series of the 1998 season, the Cal State Northridge swept all four games of their series against Southern Utah. Since then, no Matador team was able to sweep an entire four-game weekend series until the 2010 ended their trip to Washington from March 19-21 with four straight victories over Seattle University.