ARCATA — Humboldt State head coach Frank Cheek reached the lofty 1,000 career wins plateau Friday when his Lumberjacks swept Cal State Monterey Bay, 5-4 and 7-6 in California Collegiate Athletic Association softball action.

Wins No. 999 and 1,000 were a lot like their predecessors, coming in dramatic fashion for the Lumberjacks, who pushed a run across in the bottom of the seventh to claim the opener and held on to squeeze out the nightcap. They improved their overall record to 20-6 and their league mark to 13-5, moving the Jacks into first place in the CCAA.

“One thousand wins is durability,” Cheek said. “It's a treasured moment for me, HSU, and the community.”

Game one saw Humboldt State get on the board first, scoring two runs in the second inning on a Lindsay Warren two-run homer.

The lead was short-lived as the Otters came back with two runs of their own in the next half inning on back-to-back home runs by Niki Ames and Shelair Rowell. The Otters then took the lead two innings later on solo home runs by Shae Olds and Rowell.

But Humboldt State answered back with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning again with a two-run homer, this time by Natalie Galletly.

The Jacks won the game in the bottom of the seventh when Galletly came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out in the inning. The Jacks first baseman reached on an error by Monterey Bay's pitcher, Jessica Boyle (5-9), scoring Sammi Gilbert.

“Today was a day with lots of strategy thrown in,” Cheek said.

Game two the Jacks again got the early lead, scoring one run in the bottom of the first on a Marissa Slattery RBI double to right field. HSU then scored four runs in the third on a three-run homer by Slattery and an RBI single by Felecia Viveiros.

CSUMB answered back with four runs in the next half inning on two home runs, a solo shot by Olds and a three-run homer by third baseman Ashlee Trotter.

The Jacks got one back in the bottom of the fourth on a solo home run by Nikki Ketteringham. However, Monterey Bay scored one of its own in the top of the fifth on a solo home run by Jennifer Montez. Viveiros hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth to stretch the Jacks' lead back to two runs.

Monterey Bay scored one run in the top of the seventh to move the score to 7-6, but HSU starter Nichole Parada (9-1) shut the door to seal the victory.

The Jacks will return to the field tomorrow to continue their series with the Otters. Due to the weather, the first pitch has been moved up to 9 a.m.

Game One
Humboldt State 5, CSU Monterey Bay 4 (Mar 20, 2009 at Arcata, Calif.) (Game 1)
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CSU Monterey Bay.... 002 020 0 -  4 10  1      (15-16-1, 9-4 CCAA)
Humboldt State...... 020 020 1 -  5  5  1      (19-6, 12-6 CCAA)
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Pitchers: CSU Monterey Bay - BOYLE, J. Humboldt State - PEREZ, Gracie; ANDERSON, Jenna(4).
Win-PEREZ, Gracie(7-3)  Loss-BOYLE, J(5-9)  T-2:00  A-47
HR CSUMB - OLDS, S; AMES, N; ROWELL, S 2.
HR HSU - GALLETLY, Natalie; WARREN, Lindsay.
Weather: Cold and Cloudy

Game Two
Humboldt State 7, CSU Monterey Bay 6 (Mar 20, 2009 at Arcata, Calif.) (Game 2)
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CSU Monterey Bay.... 000 410 1 -  6 12  1      (15-17-1, 9-5 CCAA)
Humboldt State...... 104 110 X -  7 10  0      (20-6, 13-5 CCAA)
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Pitchers: CSU Monterey Bay - ROWELL, S; TATING, M(3). Humboldt State - PARADA, Nichole.
Win-PARADA, Nichole(9-1)  Loss-ROWELL, S(7-4)  T-1:50  A-58
HR CSUMB - MONTEZ, J; OLDS, S; TROTTER, A.
HR HSU - KETTERINGHAM, Nikki; SLATTERY, Marissa; VIVIEROS, Felicia.
Weather: Cloudy