Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
Cal State Northridge
Red Raiders Drop Series Opener At Cal-State Northridge
February 27, 2009 | Baseball
Feb. 27, 2009
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - Cal-State Northridge erased a one-run deficit with three runs in the seventh and two in the eighth to take an 8-4 win over Texas Tech in the first game of a three-game series on Friday afternoon at Matador Field in Northridge.
The loss drops Texas Tech to 5-2 on the season while Cal-State Northridge improves to 2-3. The two teams will continue their three-game series at 3 p.m. (CT) on Saturday afternoon.
Junior left fielder Taylor Ashby broke open a scoreless game in the top half of the fourth when he blasted a solo home run over the left field wall to give the Red Raiders a 1-0 lead. The home run was the first hit of the game for the Red Raiders and marked Ashby's first homer of the season.
Cal-State Northridge answered Ashby's home run in the bottom half of the fourth when Dominic D'Anna laced an RBI single that scored Richard Cates who led off the inning with a single to left-center.
Texas Tech regained the lead in the fifth as the Red Raiders plated a pair of runs to go ahead 3-1. Freshman third baseman Justin Berry led off the inning with a single to right and then scored the first run on a wild pitch by Matador right-hander Ryan McCarney. Pinch hitter Logan Leslie gave Tech the two-run cushion when he laced an RBI line drive out into left field that scored freshman right fielder Mason Macnoll.
As they did in the fourth, the Matadors answered the Tech scoring and evened things up again by plating two runs on a pair of hits and two walks. Tech starter Chad Bettis wouldn't survive the inning as he was chased away with two outs in favor of senior left-hander Cory Large. Large was able to end the inning by inducing C.J. Belanger into a flyout to right with runners at first and second.
A Matador miscue in the top of the sixth, led to an unearned Tech run as the Red Raiders grabbed a 4-3 lead. Ashby reached as the leadoff hitter thanks to a throwing error by Matador shortstop Jason Dabbs. Justin Berry was able to drive Ashby home on his second hit of the afternoon when he dropped a two-out RBI single into left field.
Northridge earned its first lead of the game in the bottom of the seventh as the Matadors scored three runs to take a 6-4 advantage. The Matadors got a solo home run John Parham and a two-run dinger from D'Anna in the inning.
Jeff Pruitt put the game away for the Matadors in the bottom of the eighth with a two-RBI single to center that gave Northridge an 8-4 lead.
Senior LHP Cory Large (0-1) was charged with the loss for Tech after giving up two runs in the seventh. Paul Tremlin (1-0) earned the win for Northridge by turning in 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.
