COLLEGE BASEBALL ROUNDUP: CSUN FALLS SHORT.

Byline: Daily News

Cal State Northridge and UC Irvine combined to hit nine home runs Saturday, but in the end, the Anteaters outmuscled the host Matadors, winning 21-16 in a Big West Conference game at Matador Field.

The wild game saw every player in the Matador lineup have at least one hit and score at least one run. Irvine did its share of knocking the ball around, finishing with 22 hits, including five home runs and six doubles. The teams combined to hit three grand slams.

Mark Wagner capped a seven-run seventh inning with a grand slam to put the Anteaters (28-12-1, 5-6) ahead for good, 18-12. He finished 4 for 6, with two home runs, six RBI and three runs scored.

The Matadors erased two deficits with grand slams, the first of which came off the bat of John Voita in the third, giving Northridge a 4-3 lead. Michael Paulk followed with a solo shot to make it 5-3.

Northridge (14-30, 1-10) trailed again in the sixth inning, but rallied with three consecutive singles to load the bases for Voita, who was hit by a pitch to cut the Irvine deficit to 11-8. Paulk then hit with a towering shot that just cleared the center field wall clearing the bases and giving the Matadors what proved to be their final lead of the game, 12-11.

Paulk was 5 for 6 with six RBI and three runs and Voita was 2 for 4 with five RBI and scored four runs.

--UCLA 12, USC 6: Jarrad Page was 4 for 4 with two doubles and four RBI as host UCLA evened its Pac-10 Conference series against USC with a victory at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

Scott Botterman (1-0) earned the win in relief for the Bruins, allowing two runs in 1 2/3 innings and Adam Simon threw three-plus innings of scoreless relief to notch his fourth save of the season. Teammates Preston Griffin and Brett McMillan each had three hits for the Bruins (23-19, 7-7).

Bret Butler (4-2) got roughed up and took the loss after allowing seven runs, six of which were earned, on eight hits in four-plus innings. He walked two and struck out six for the Trojans (21-23, 7-7).

--Pepperdine 4, Loyola Marymount 3: Brent Lewis hit a three-run home run in the first inning and Kea Kometani pitched seven-plus innings for Pepperdine (20-23, 14-6) in a West Coast Conference victory at Page Stadium.

Kometani allowed nine hits, three runs, and stuck out four and improved his record to 5-6.

The Waves' David Uribes opened the game with an infield single and Luke Salas followed with a walk. One out later, Lewis hit the three-run shot off the first pitch he saw to give Pepperdine a 3-0 lead.

Designated hitter Steve Kleen increased Pepperdine's advantage to 4-0 in the second inning when he hit a sacrifice fly that scored Cory Brightwell.