Matadors Sweep by Fullerton

FULLERTON — After dominating Cal State Fullerton only to escape with an 11-inning, 4-3 victory in the first game of a Big West Conference on Wednesday night, Cal State Northridge rallied to complete the sweep, 4-3, in front of about 200 at Fullerton.

After six hours of softball, Northridge (33-17-2, 20-8 in conference play) took first place and has a one-game lead over Long Beach State (38-17-1, 19-9) with four games remaining.

Fullerton (27-23, 11-16) probably will miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since the NCAA began Division I softball in 1980.

Northridge, ranked No. 21 in the nation, has to win the conference title to ensure a NCAA berth.

The Matadors had a season-high 15 hits in the first game, but failed to put Fullerton away. Northridge stranded 18 runners, 12 in scoring position.

Fullerton was able to make it interesting with only five hits off Tara Glaister.

Northridge had 10 hits in the first five innings, but had only two runs to show for it.

Glaister (21-9), who has won 13 of her past 14 starts, walked the first batter she faced, but retired the next 11, striking out the side in the fourth.

But in the fifth, Bevan Trueblood broke up her no-hitter with a single to left. Glaister struck out the next batter but surrendered a single to Jana Oetgen and hit Julie Williams to load the bases.

Jessica Maloney’s sacrifice fly to center drove in Trueblood, a sophomore from Buena High, to make it 2-1. A strikeout got Glaister out of the fifth, but she found more trouble in the sixth.

After Northridge scored Laura Redding on Jennifer Parker’s fielder’s choice for a 3-1 lead in the top of the sixth, Glaister retired the first two batters she faced on a strikeout and a groundout.

But Glaister walked consecutive batters and surrendered a single to Dara Marzolo to load the bases. Glaister walked the next two batters on full-count riseballs to tie it, 3-3.

In tears, Glaister went to an adjacent field with pitching coach Randy Roeder to pull herself together.

Northridge threatened in the seventh and eighth but didn’t get the go-ahead run until the 11th. With the bases loaded and one out, Redding hit a sacrifice fly for the winning run.

Glaister, who retired the side in order in the 11th, threw 166 pitches, struck out 13, walked six and hit one batter.

In the second game, Northridge overcame a two-run deficit with four runs in the fifth.

With two runners on and one out, Parker doubled home a run and Elizabeth Sanches followed with a run-scoring single to tie the score, 2-2.

Hayes’ double down the left-field line drove in Parker to put Northridge ahead, 3-2, and Sanches scored on an illegal pitch one batter later.

Fullerton scored in the bottom of the fifth on a run-scoring double by Marzolo, which chased starter Cheri Shinn.

Glaister returned to the circle and struck out Julie Williams on four pitches.