The CSUN baseball team (11-29, 7-15) hosted UC Riverside for the start of a three-game set. The Matadors were looking to get off on the right foot in the series after being shutout earlier in the week by USC.

They accomplished that by blowing out the Highlanders 11-0 on Friday night at Robert J. Hiegert Field.

CSUN outfielder Andrew Gauna talked about the team’s approach entering tonight’s game.

“I think as a squad collectively, we knew coming into this game we were going to have a weaker opponent. So we really emphasized coming out with a lot of energy and a lot of aggression. We really just wanted to keep the foot on the gas and hand it to them,” said Gauna.

Gauna finished the game going 2 for 3 with three RBIs and a walk.

It was a quick start for the Matadors, scoring four runs in the first inning. They knocked out Highlanders (15-29, 4-18) starting pitcher Justin Estrada out of the game after recording just one out in his appearance.

The offense added another run in the bottom of the third before exploding for three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Gauna highlighted the inning by knocking in two runs off a double, giving himself his third RBI of the night, making it 8-0 Matadors.

Moving forward to the fifth inning, it was a showcase on both sides as the Highlanders were looking to get on the board. With a flyball being sent to left field, Andrew Becker put his Superman cape on, taking back a potential home run to preserve the shutout. When it was the Matador’s turn to bat, Roberto Gonzalez put the game well out of reach with his fourth home run, a three-run shot.

One of the biggest keys for CSUN’s offense was its ability to steal bases. The team tied a program record with nine stolen bases, the most in a game since 2010.

Jon Mocherman got the starting nod and set the tone for the Matadors’ pitching staff, going five innings, striking out two and allowing just two hits, earning his first win.

Mocherman also started for the team in their first shutout win against Long Beach State this past weekend.

Mocherman spoke on the pitching staff’s ability to get the shutout.

“I think we all just did a good job of throwing strikes early. We were getting good advantages in the counts early for the pitchers, we were also getting quick outs,” said Mocherman.

The Matador’s pitching staff gave a valiant effort, having one of their best performances of the season. The bullpen combined for five strikeouts and gave up just three hits. It was a bend but don’t break kind of night, with the Highlanders leaving 10 men on base.

It’s the second shutout CSUN has pitched in the team’s last four games.

It’s up to the Matadors to grab a series win in tomorrow’s matchup as they look to take back-to-back Big West conference series wins for the first time all season. It’ll be a special night, with the Alumni Homecoming game starting at 4:30 p.m., which will be broadcast on ESPN+.