Call to Arms Goes Unanswered as Northridge Loses, 10-9

PROVO, Utah — When can a 10-9 victory by Brigham Young over Cal State Northridge be described as a pitchers’ duel?

How about Friday, the day after 44 runs were scored by the same teams at Cougar Field, a picturesque bandbox at the foot of the snow-capped Wasatch Mountains?

Robert Crabtree of Northridge and Scott Haws of BYU each tossed complete games in the Cougar victory that extended the best-of-three Western Athletic Conference championship series to a third game today.

“Those two put on a clinic in perseverance, stamina and character,” BYU Coach Gary Pullins said. “There was a lot of art out there on the mound.”

Perseverance, absolutely. Picasso, hardly.

Throwing primarily curves and changeups, Haws (8-4) made 193 pitches, allowed 13 hits, walked 10 and struck out 12. Crabtree (13-6) was more economical, throwing 129 pitches, walking none and striking out eight, but he allowed 16 hits. Each pitcher allowed four home runs.

The game ended on a strike thrown not by Haws but by right fielder LeRoy Brown. With two out in the ninth and Jose Miranda on first base, Robert Fick hit a line drive to right field. Fick tried to stretch the hit into a double but Brown threw him out.

“I play aggressively and I thought I could make it,” said Fick, who had three hits, including his 22nd home run. “I was the winning run and I wanted to get into scoring position.”

BYU (38-18) led throughout the game. According to WAC rules, the Cougars were the visiting team after being the home team Thursday, and they scored four runs in the first on five hits, including a two-run homer by Tyson Dowdell.

Adam Kennedy led off the Northridge first with his 14th home run and the Matadors (46-15) scored either one or two runs in every inning but the sixth and ninth. However, only three of the players who walked scored and the Matadors left 12 runners on base.

Northridge scored one run in each of the first three innings and Fick’s two-run homer in the fourth made the score 6-5. BYU answered with two in the top of the fifth and the Matadors countered in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run by Kurt Airoso.

A two-run home run by Brown in the seventh--the only runs Crabtree allowed after the fifth--gave BYU a 10-6 lead.

Cesar Martinez, batting ninth for Northridge, hit a two-run home run in the seventh. Fick came up with two on and one out and hit a line drive that was speared by Dowdell, the first baseman, who doubled up Jose Miranda.

Doubles by Eric Gillespie and Airoso in the eighth pulled Northridge to within one run.

Matador Notes

Northridge has scored in all but three at-bats in two games, generating 38 runs on 35 hits, but has left 30 runners on base. The Matadors have struck out 25 times and walked 27 times. . . . Matador outfielder Jeremy Conrad aggravated a slightly separated shoulder in pregame warmups Thursday. He has not played in the series.