The Colleges : Raising Big-Time Cash Essential for Northridge Move to Division I

It is pocket change for Michigan, an allowance for Alabama, but $100,000 would be unprecedented for Cal State Northridge.

In a six-week period beginning today, Northridge will try to raise a six-digit sum for athletic scholarships and recruiting. If the campaign is successful, the money raised will mark the largest sum ever raised for athletics through community donations. Last year, $59,000 was raised.

How the fund-raising drive progresses might be an indication of public support for the school’s planned move from Division II to Division I in athletics beginning in the 1990-91 academic year.

“I would guess that’s how some people will look at it,” said Ran Railey, CSUN’s director of athletic development. “We’re looking at it more to fill holes in the budget.”

The fund-raising effort will involve 33 volunteers who will contact community groups and businesses and participate in a telemarketing campaign.

Making her pitch: Debbie Dickmann, Northridge’s All-American softball pitcher, improved her record to 21-4 with five wins in a tournament at Cal State Hayward last week. Included was a six-inning perfect game against Pacific Lutheran. She had four shutouts, struck out 28 without issuing a walk and didn’t allow an earned run.

“There’s not enough good things I can say about her,” CSUN Coach Gary Torgeson said. “I don’t care what division you’re playing, she’s one of the best.”

Dickmann’s losses this season have all been by 1-0 scores or in extra innings.

Almost as impressive at Hayward was freshman pitcher Heather Lindstrom. She won three games and saved another to boost her record to 10-3.

Northridge, which came in ranked No. 2 in Division II, won the tournament championship with a 1-0 decision over top-ranked Cal State Sacramento.

Getting offensive: What Dickmann is to Northridge’s defense, Lisa Erickson is to its offense.

The junior center fielder is the closest thing to automatic when it comes to reaching base. She is batting .479 and has an on-base percentage of .551.

And when Erickson gets on base she knows her way around. She has 31 stolen bases in 35 attempts and has scored 36 of CSUN’s 155 runs.

At the Hayward tournament last week, Erickson had 17 hits in 27 at-bats, scored 13 runs and was honored as most valuable player.

Valley-beating rally: The Glendale baseball team’s extra-inning win over second-ranked Valley on Saturday might have been a coming-out party.

“It’s the first time we really stretched and beat somebody ahead of us.” Glendale Coach Steve Coots said.

The dramatic 11-10 victory came after the Vaqueros rallied for two runs in the bottom of the 10th inning. Glendale trailed, 10-9, but came back when Chris Majors led off with a home run and Art Chute singled in the winning run.

However, it was in the sixth inning that the ball first took a Glendale bounce. Marco Asselin was able to bunt a bounced pitch to squeeze in a run that gave the Vaqueros a 7-5 advantage.

“I’ve never seen anyone do it on the bounce,” Coots said. “He put it in such a good spot that he almost beat out the throw.”

Is the Price right?: John Price and his Cal State Northridge men’s volleyball team left this morning for Indiana where the Matadors will take part in the four-team Ball State tournament.

Northridge, (7-17 overall, 2-13 in the Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn.) will play Ball State in the opening round Friday, and George Mason and Indiana-Purdue Ft. Wayne will meet in the other first-round match.

“This is an opportunity to win something,” said Price, whose team is ranked 12th in the nation. “We’re going to finish anywhere from 7th to 10th in our league. People back there are probably saying, ‘How can they be ranked?

“Our players want to go back there and make a statement--’Hey, we might be 2-13 in league, but we’re a good team.”

Coming into his own: Shinya Fukada, a Pierce sophomore right-hander from Tokyo, earned his first career win after pitching 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief during the Brahmas’ 7-6 victory over Santa Barbara City on Saturday then earned his first save with a 1 1/3-inning effort against Ventura on Tuesday.

“Last year I was more under pressure,” Fukada said. “I’d go up there and throw as hard as I could. This year, I’m more relaxed and can get control better. I got my control under control.”

Staff writers Mike Hiserman, Gary Klein, Ralph Nichols and Sam Farmer contributed to this notebook.