MONDAY, APRIL 26, 1999

Northridge rips The Beach

By Michelle Fithian

On-line Forty-Niner

Two hundred diehard fans braved record-breaking temperatures to watch the Cal State Long Beach softball team lose two out of three in the Big West Conference showdown against Cal State Northridge on April 17-18 at the 49er Softball Complex.

The sun beat down as The Beach split the Saturday afternoon double-header winning the first game, 1-0, while the Matadors countered in the nightcap, winning 7-0.

Sunday proved to be no easier for The Beach as CSUN shortstop Ashlie Hayes hit her first homerun of the season to account for the only scoring in a 1-0 victory by Northridge over the 49ers.

Hayes hit a two-out line drive that just cleared the leftfield fence and stayed fair by only a few feet. It was Hayes' second hit of the day as she recorded two of the four hits off of 49er pitcher Kristi Fox.

Fox (11-8) pitched well for The Beach, allowing only two hits and two walks in the loss. The run allowed by Fox ended her scoreless innings streak of 33 2/3 innings.

Tara Glaister started for the third time in the series, allowed only two 49er hits on the day and walked three batters. Glaister ended the series vs. The Beach by allowing just one run in 19 innings, including no runs in the final 15 innings.

Long Beach is now 21-16 overall, 6-5 in Big West play.

The Beach will host Loyola Marymount April 28 in their final regular season non-conference doubleheader, beginning at 1 p.m. at the 49er Complex.