Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
Cal State Northridge
Red Raiders Suffer Series Sweep At Northridge
March 01, 2009 | Baseball
March 1, 2009
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - Cal-State Northridge scored two unearned with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to hand the Red Raiders a 3-2 loss and a three-game series sweep on Sunday afternoon at Matador Field.
The loss drops Texas Tech to 5-4 on the year while Cal-State Northridge improves to 4-3.
The Red Raiders were just one out away from a win over the Matadors but a critical fielding error by freshman third baseman Justin Berry gave the Matadors new life. Northridge left fielder Richard Cates followed up the error with a double to right field that that scored Jeff Pruitt (reached on a fielder's choice) and tied the game at 2-2. The game ended on the next pitch from reliever Brian Cloud as Ryan Pineda dropped a game-winning RBI single into left field that scored Cates.
Senior right-hander AJ Ramos was spectacular for the second week in a row for the Red Raiders as he logged four shutout innings before reaching his predetermined pitch count of 65. Ramos held the Matadors to just six hits over the first four frames with no walks and six strikeouts. On the year, Ramos has seven shutout innings and nine striketouts
Tech finally broke open a scoreless game in the top of the sixth on what should have been a botched running play but turned out in favor of the Red Raiders. Junior left fielder Taylor Ashby got caught up in a run down with outs in the inning but right fielder Logan Brown, who reached on a leadoff single and was standing on third, was able to run home to score the first run of the game. Ashby ended up going to third on the play when Matador catcher John Parham tried to throw him out at second, after Brown scored, but the ball sailed into left field allowing Ashby to take third.
The Red Raiders tacked on another run in the top of the seventh on what was the second throwing error of the day by Parham. Joey Kenworthy, who pinch hit for Kengray Fleming in the inning, reached on a single and then stole second. Parham's throw, however, went wild and ended up bouncing into shallow right-center field and that allowed catcher Jeremy Mayo to score from third. Mayo reached on a one-out walk and moved to third on Kenworthy's pinch hit single.
Brian Cloud (1-2) was charged with the loss for Texas Tech after giving up three unearned runs in 3 1/3 innings of relief. Jimmy Jolicoeur (1-2) earned the win for the Matadors as he held the Red Raiders scoreless over 2 2/3 innings of relief work.
Texas Tech returns to action on Tuesday night as the Red Raiders will face the UC-Riverside Highlanders at Riverside Sports Complex. First pitch is set for 8 p.m. (CT).
