By Nate Sanchez
Senior Columnist
After being swept by Creighton University to start the season, CSU Bakersfield bounced back against Northern Kentucky University, winning the four-game series, 3-1.
The series came to an end Sunday, when CSUB senior pitcher Nick Rogowski scattered 10 hits and five earned runs over seven innings.
Rogowski conceded four runs in the first two innings, but was mostly dominant for the remainder of the game.
Max Carter came on in relief, collecting three strikeouts and allowed one hit.
In the fourth inning, with the Runners down by four runs, sophomore Joey Sanchez hit a two-RBI single, leading to a five-run inning.
The Runners did not allow another run.
“I waited for my opportunity,” Sanchez said. “My name got called and I’m glad to say I could get it done for the team. Last weekend we came out a little flat, but this weekend we all pitched in and it was a team effort. I’m pretty happy and excited for what the future holds for the season.”
The most notable aspect of the ’Runners’ game this series was the offense.
The ’Runners scored 34 runs in the series against the Norse, almost seven times the runs scored in the Creighton series. You can’t win if you don’t hit, and hit they did.
“Coach [Kernen] really helped with our approach offensively, which was to stay patient at the plate,” said shortstop Mylz Jones. “We’d been rushing and getting ahead of ourselves.”
Against Creighton, the top of the order was hitting a meager .264 against opposing pitching. Against the Norse, the first three batters in the order hit a combined .321, a major improvement. The ’Runners also got their walk rate up, averaging 4.5 per game.
“There’s an intent, a determination on the part of our guys to get that turnaround cause we knew that wasn’t who we really are that first weekend,” CSUB coach Bill Kernen said. “We’ll see what happens as we go along, but we know we’re a better offensive team than when we played that first series.”
Strikeouts were also a work in progress for the ’Runners. The ’Runners struck out 25 times over three games against Creighton, averaging 8.3 per game.
The Norse could only hold the Runners to an average of seven over the last series. Another bright spot for the ’Runners’ offense was Soloman Williams.
The senior first baseman hit .384 with six RBI against the Norse. The Runners season is a work in progress. It’s still early, but the Runners’ bats are alive and kicking. CSUB will play in the Phoenix Muni Classic on Feb. 26 where the Roadrunners will play at Arizona State University.
