Same Old Story as Northridge Bows Out Early

Two and out. Again.

For the second consecutive year, Cal State Northridge was the first team eliminated from the NCAA softball regional at Fresno State.

And, like before, it was a lackluster offense that sent the Matadors home early.

With just three hits--two of which never left the infield, Northridge lost for the second time in as many games, suffering a 4-0 loss to Minnesota on Saturday in the regional’s first elimination game.

“If you can’t hit, you can’t win,” Coach Janet Sherman said. “We didn’t hit so we didn’t give ourselves a chance.”

Minnesota, seeded fourth, went on to beat California, 3-2, in the second elimination game and must defeat top-seeded Fresno State to advance to the College World Series.

Northridge (37-19), which had nine hits in regional losses to Long Beach State and Cal last season, managed only eight against Cal and Minnesota a year later.

The Matadors, who have been in the postseason seven consecutive years, are winless in three regionals hosted by Fresno State.

Jessica Creith, with three hits, and Elizabeth Sanches, with two, were the only Matadors to record multiple hits for the weekend.

Making matters worse against Minnesota, Sherman said second baseman Augrista Belford, the team’s fourth-leading hitter at .316 with 25 runs batted in, was benched by a “team decision.” Sherman did not elaborate.

Minnesota (47-20), which finished fourth in the Big Ten Conference, pounded 10 hits off two pitchers and led off with a single in five of its six at-bats.

The Golden Gophers batted around in the third, bunching five hits and scoring all of their runs off Tara Glaister (19-10), who struck out five in three innings. Amber Hegland’s bases-loaded single up the middle drove in the first two runs. The last two came on run-scoring singles by Erin Mooney and Dana Ballard.

“I thought I was hitting my spots,” Glaister said. “They just hit [the ball].”

Things went badly for Northridge right off the bat. The Matadors hit into double plays in the first and second innings and didn’t get another runner until Ashlie Hayes singled on a bunt to lead off the sixth.

Minnesota ace Steph Klaviter retired 10 consecutive batters during the stretch, including eight on groundouts. Klaviter induced 15 ground balls for outs.

“It’s frustrating to see ground balls like that when I know we can hit,” Sherman said. “It’s frustrating to see the ball come off the handle continuously when I know we can hit [those pitches].”

Klaviter (20-12), a rather imposing right-hander at 6 feet 4, found success working the corners, especially the inside of the plate.

“[She was] like all legs coming at you, but it wasn’t like [Texas’] Christa Williams hard,” said Chelo Lopez, hitless in six regional at-bats. “She was just jamming us all day.”

Sherman said her team showed more intensity than it did in the 3-1 loss to Cal on Friday night, but the Matadors once again failed to adjust at the plate.

“We tried to tell them to get their hands out and get extended and she continued to jam us,” Sherman said. “She pitched very well against us. Today she was unbeatable for us.”

Klaviter, who allowed six hits in a 2-1 loss to Fresno State on Friday, needed just 66 pitches to dismiss the Matadors. She threw three pitches in the fifth.