CSUN Women Split 2 Games, Make a Point

Cal State Northridge softball Coach Gary Torgeson has a habit of stuffing a pencil in his cap, just above the right ear, during every Matador game.

The pencil was in its usual place Saturday when CSUN played host to two-time defending NCAA Division II champion Cal State Bakersfield. Perhaps Torgeson had it there to erase the bad memories of last year’s Western regional tournament, in which Bakersfield defeated Northridge twice and knocked the Matadors out of the Division II playoffs.

Bakersfield, in fact, had defeated CSUN in four of the teams’ past five meetings.

But on Saturday, the Matadors sent the Roadrunners an indelible message: We’re baaaack.

Northridge rolled to a 5-1 victory in the first game of a doubleheader, then lost a hard-fought 1-0 decision in the second game on a wild pitch.

Each team suffered its first defeat in California Collegiate Athletic Assn. play. Bakersfield (13-2 overall) is 7-1 in conference action, CSUN 5-1.

“We’re not afraid of them,” said Northridge center fielder Lisa Erickson, last year’s CCAA Player of the Year who had two hits in the opener. “I think they have something to think about now. Psychologically, I think we have an edge.”

Erickson gave Northridge a 1-0 edge in the first game when she walked in the first inning, was sacrificed to second by Anna Getherall, then scored on Patti Pearson’s single, sliding headfirst under catcher Leean Couch’s tag.

Danielle Wood followed with a single that gave CSUN a 2-0 lead.

Opportunistic Northridge (12-11) scratched out unearned runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings. The Matadors recorded a season high for runs in a game.

In the meantime, Debbie Dickmann was throttling the Roadrunners on the mound, limiting them to four singles overall and a run in the third inning. Dickmann (7-4) struck out five and did not walk a batter in recording her third consecutive win.

The second game belonged to freshman left-hander Cathy Lewis (6-0), who held Northridge to two singles and struck out five of the first seven batters she faced.

Bakersfield scored in the third inning. Lisa Uranday led off with a single, was bunted to second, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch by Matador starter De Dow (3-3). Dow allowed just four singles but received little offensive help.

The Matadors got an infield single by Erickson in the first inning, but Lewis retired 19 of the next 20 batters until Wood lined a one-out single to left in the seventh. Terri Pearson ran for Wood and stole second after Jeanne Mixon flied out. But Northridge was unable to score as Erin McGuire grounded out to end the game.