NORTHRIDGE, Calif. » What was supposed to be the start of the easy part of the schedule turned into the Hawaii baseball team’s most disappointing effort of the season.

At least, that’s what coach Mike Trapasso called it — several times.

"I wish I had an answer because we didn’t show up today, and it was the most disappointing game we’ve had," Trapasso said Thursday after the Rainbow Warriors managed just four hits in dropping a 6-2 decision to Cal State Northridge.

Suddenly, this series against the other Big West Conference doormat looks similar to the last two series against conference leaders.

There was plenty of bad to go around for Hawaii (14-20, 2-8 Big West), which dropped its eighth in a row and now sits alone in the conference cellar. It also has never won at Northridge, now standing 0-11 all-time, although Thursday was the team’s first game here since 1996.

Freshman Marcus Doi (groin injury) didn’t make the trip, and Trapasso said before the game that Doi’s season is done.

Also done is Kaeo Aliviado’s nine-game hitting streak. He and the rest of the offense provided little challenge to Northridge starter Brycen Rutherford (3-3), a junk-ball thrower who gave up two hits — none after the second inning — in 7 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out three.

"Sometimes, it’s the old adage: The hardest guys to hit are the over-90 and under-80 guys," Trapasso said. "He kept throwing that soft stuff in there, and we couldn’t get anything done."

By the time the Rainbow Warriors got on the scoreboard, on bases-loaded walks by Jordan Richartz and Adam Hurley in the eighth inning, Northridge (14-23, 3-7) had a 6-0 lead.

Matt Cooper (3-4) gave up five runs (three earned) and nine hits in six-plus innings with two walks, four strikeouts and one hit batsman. He sailed through three innings, facing just two batters above the minimum. He made some tough pitches to get out of jams in the fourth and fifth innings after putting the leadoff batter on second each time.

Perhaps most impressive was Cooper striking out second baseman Ryan Raslowski and right fielder Chester Pak in the fifth with a runner on third. It was only Raslowski’s fourth strikeout of the season.

But Cooper couldn’t work similar magic in the sixth and seventh. The Matadors again got the leadoff batters on, but in these instances, both scored. A Jerry Kleman throwing error off a sacrifice bunt in the sixth didn’t help, and shortstop Brett Balkan’s two-run single two outs later put the Matadors ahead to stay.

"We didn’t play well today, and that’s really what it comes down to," Cooper said. "It doesn’t necessarily mean that we can’t hit sliders. It’s (that) we didn’t have a good day."

The Matadors scored four times in the seventh on Raslowski’s RBI triple, Pak’s single that chased Cooper and Nick Blaser’s two-run single off Juliene Jones.

"We’re in a rut right now," Cooper said. "It’ll take one game and we’ll be right back to where we were. It’ll take one win and then we’ll be good to go."

Game 2 of the series is Friday at noon.

CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE 6, HAWAII 2

E—Kleman; Balkan; Rutherford. DP—Hawaii 2; CSUN 1. LOB—Hawaii 9; CSUN 7. 2B—Colantono. 3B—Raslowsky. HBP-Aliviado; Murphy. SH—Lowe; Osuna 3; Balser. SB—Ventimilia; Balkan 2.

HBP—by Cooper (Murphy); by Maltese (Aliviado).
Umpires—(Plate): Gary Gilman. (First): Ryan Bleiberg. (Third): Allen Williams. T—2:37. A—218.

BIG WEST STANDINGS

Thursday
CS Northridge 6, Hawaii 2
Cal Poly 8, CS Fullerton 0
UC Riverside 12, UC Davis 9
Long Beach State 3, UC Santa Barbara 2
*San Diego State 3, UC Irvine 1
*non-conference

Friday
Hawaii at CS Northridge, noon
UC Davis at UC Riverside
CS Fullerton at Cal Poly
UC Santa Barbara at Long Beach State
*San Diego State at UC Irvine
* — non-conference

Saturday
Hawaii at CS Northridge, 10 a.m.
CS Fullerton at Cal Poly
UC Davis at UC Riverside
UC Santa Barbara at Long Beach State
*San Diego State at UC Irvine
* — non-conference