Northridge Thwarted by Homer in 9th

Bryan Williamson led off the ninth inning with a home run to give Washington a 7-6 victory over Cal State Northridge in a nonconference baseball game Saturday at Seattle.

The Matadors (20-25) built a 3-0 lead after 3 1/2 innings, fell behind twice by a run and rallied both times to tie, including the top of the ninth when Jeremy Sickles tripled and scored on Tim Arroyo’s single.

But Williamson connected on the second pitch from reliever Matt MacLeod (1-2) for his fifth home run.

Ken Ferguson (2-2) got the final two outs for Washington (23-12), striking out Daniel Phillips to escape a first-and-third jam.

Sickles had four hits and Phillips had three, including a double, and drove in two runs for the Matadors, who close out a three-game series with the Huskies today.

Cal Lutheran 6-5, Redlands 4-11--Jeremy Schlosser had three hits, including a home run, but the Kingsmen dropped the second game of a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader at Redlands (14-20, 8-10).

In the first game, Adam Springston (4-2) of Cal Lutheran (24-8, 15-3) struck out six and scattered four hits in six innings.

Valley 5, Canyons 3--Josh Highsmith tripled home the go-ahead run in the sixth inning and scored on a wild pitch for the Monarchs (12-21, 6-10) in a Western State Conference Southern Division victory at Valley.

Chris Coash and Sergio Franco hit doubles for Canyons (14-22, 7-9).

Cuesta 10, Ventura 1--David Arroyo had two hits for the Pirates (18-13, 8-7) in a WSC Northern Division defeat at Ventura.

SOFTBALL

CS Long Beach 1-0, Northridge 0-7--Kristi Fox, from Newbury Park High, pitched a four-hitter in the first game for the 49ers (21-15, 6-4), but the Matadors pounded 10 hits to win the second game of a Big West doubleheader at Long Beach.

Fox (11-7) wasn’t overpowering, striking out two and walking five. She has pitched 28 consecutive innings without allowing a run.

In the second game, the Matadors (21-20, 7-7) scored in four of the first five innings.

Jessica Creith, Ashlie Hayes, and Jill Passafiume each had two hits for Northridge.

Creith hit a two-run double to highlight a three-run fourth for Northridge.

Canyons 9, Bakersfield 8--The Cougars increased their lead in the WSC Southern Division to two games over Bakersfield when Chantal Pershing drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning at Canyons.

Pershing also hit a home run in the first inning.

Andrea Wintermute had three hits, drove in a run and scored another for the Cougars (24-11-1, 10-3).

Cal Lutheran 10-15, Whittier 1-6--Julie Gerughty had three hits and drove in five runs in the second game of an SCIAC doubleheader sweep for the Regals (13-11, 7-3) at Whittier (2-20, 1-11).

MEN’S TRACK

SCIAC Championships--Tom Meadows of Cal Lutheran won the discus at 145-9 and teammate Art Miller was second at 138-6 at Occidental College.