NORTHRIDGE, Calif. ? The Cal State Northridge softball team collected 11 two?out RBI and need all of them to complete a 6?3, 8?7 sweep of CSUB Saturday afternoon at the Matador Diamond.

CSUN (11?15 overall) took advantage of a two?out error in the second inning of game one to score six unearned runs. Bakersfield (12?14) battled back and brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh inning before the Matadors ended the rally.

In game two, the Roadrunners completed one of the biggest seventh?inning comebacks in school history, scoring five times to erase a 7?2 deficit and force extra innings before Northridge scored in the bottom of the eighth to complete the sweep.

CSUB jumped out to first?inning leads in both games. Kelli Bailey doubled with two outs and pinch runner Chelsey Bell scored two batters later on a Cara Klein single that staked the 'Runners to a 1?0 lead in the opener.

'Runner starter Brittany Johnson sailed early, retiring the first five Matadors she faced. But a two?out single followed by an error opened the floodgates. CSUN poured through with five consecutive hits to drive home all six Matador runs in the game.

Freshman pitcher Kristen Schlegel came on in relief of Johnson and gave the best performance of her young collegiate career. She stranded a pair of Matador runners to get out of the second?inning jam and went on to pitch 4 1/3 innings of scoreless, three?hit relief to give the 'Runners a chance to get back in the game.

CSUB, meanwhile, created chances in every inning but had trouble breaking through against Northridge starter Mercedes Lovato, who stranded 10 Bakersfield baserunners in the game. The 'Runners got one run back in the sixth when Pikake Nutter?Gaudet crushed her second home run of the season to deep left.

The ''Runners then made things interesting in the seventh when Bailey singled with one out, Brooklyn Stuart reached on an error and Klein delivered another RBI single. CSUB sent the tying run to the plate twice, but Lovato fanned Kristin Archuleta and got Hilary Taylor to line out to second to end the game.

An RBI double by Bailey and Klein's third RBI single of the day staked CSUB to a 2?0 lead in the first inning of game two. But Amanda Peek's two?out, two?run single put Northridge back in front, 3?2, in the fourth. That set up an unusual play that proved to be the deciding factor, although nobody watching knew it at the time.

Bakersfield put runners on second and third with one out in the sixth. Stefanie Frei hit a foul ball to deep left that would easily have scored Nutter?Gaudet from third with the tying run. But Peek took a calculated gamble and let the ball drop. Frei eventually fanned and Bailey bounced back to the circle to end the threat.

The Matadors seemed to mute the importance of that play by scoring four times in their half of the sixth to extend their 3?2 lead to 7?2. But CSUB pulled together a miracle rally, eventually tying the score on a bases?loaded Bailey grounder to second.

With 'Runners on second and third, Nette Puente nearly played the hero's role, but pitcher Amanda Pitzenberger went up and snared Puente's high?hopper that would have gone up the middle and scored two runs.

Christina Saenz ended the game in the eighth when her one?out single scored Peek from second base.

Klein led the 23?hit 'Runner offensive effort with five hits and three RBI Saturday. Bailey added four hits and a pair of doubles. Saenz went 6-for-10 with five RBI to
lead the Matadors.

CSUB will finish its six?game trip through the Big West with a doubleheader Wednesday at UC Santa Barbara.

Johnson, Schlegel (2) and Taylor; Lovato and Peek. WP?Mercedes Lovato (8-9). LP?Brittany Johnson (8-7).
2B ? Bailey (B), Saenz (N). HR ? Nutter-Gaudet (B) (#2).

Truan, Chavez (6) and Taylor; Pitzenberger (Start, 7), Lovato (7) and Peek. WP ? Amanda Pitzenberger (2-4). LP ? Katie Chavez (2-4).
2B ? Bailey (B), Taylor (B), Putnam (N).