Hit Batsman Sets Up Loss by CS Northridge

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A three-run home run by Merritt Bowden turned out to be the game-winning hit in Jacksonville (Ala.) State’s 12-8 victory over Cal State Northridge Saturday in the NCAA Division II championship game.

However, a hit nearly as important was received--as opposed to delivered--by Brian Roberts, the preceding batter.

Roberts, who struck out in his previous two at-bats, had two strikes with two outs in the sixth inning when he was hit on the side by a Craig Clayton’s curveball that didn’t break.

Bowden straightened out the next pitch--another curve--high over the fence in right-center field.

Bowden’s three-run home run, his 12th homer of the season, broke a 6-6 tie and reliever Craig Holman made it stand as Jacksonville (43-9) won its first Division II baseball title.

“That was the biggest play of the game,” Northridge Coach Bill Kernen said of Roberts being hit. “We had him struck out before on two balls away. We were trying to drop down and throw a breaking ball away and instead it hits him.”

Northridge (39-22), which out-hit Jacksonville, 13-12, had a 6-1 lead through three innings.

The Matadors scored three times in both the second and third innings, Clayton driving in four runs with a single and a three-run home run.

Scott Sharts couldn’t make it stand. Jacksonville made the score 6-3 on a two-run homer by Heath Garman in the fourth inning.

The Gamecocks pulled to within 6-5 on another two-run home run, this one by Todd Mixon in the fifth.

In the sixth, Sharts was chased by Mark Adams’ run-scoring triple. Clayton came on in relief and was ahead of Roberts on the count, one ball and two strikes, before hitting him.

“It wasn’t the home runs that killed us. It was the guys we let on base,” Clayton said. “You hit a guy on a 1-2 pitch and bad things happen.”

Jacksonville added three runs in the seventh on two doubles, a single and two walks.

Holman, who relieved starter Todd Altaffer in the third inning, got the victory. He gave up seven hits and two earned runs in 6 1/3 innings.

Northridge scored single runs off Holman in the sixth and seventh innings. Sharts hit his 29th home run of the season in the sixth. In the seventh, the Matadors scored on an RBI single by Clayton, but left the bases loaded.