ARCATA – Humboldt State kept its season alive with a thrilling 3-2  come-from-behind win over Montana State Billings on Saturday, only to have its season end with an 8-0 loss to Cal State Stanislaus in the second elimination game of Saturday's NCAA DIvision II West Region Softball Championships.

Game 5 –CSU Stanislaus 8, Humboldt State 0 (5 inn.)

Cal State Stanislaus needed only four hits to earn a 8-0 mercy-rule win over Humboldt State on Friday, taking advantage of seven walks to eliminate the No. 1 seeded Lumberjacks from the NCAA Division II West Region Softball Championships.

Humboldt State's bid for its second straight regional and national titles was cut short when Jennifer Arnold launched a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Arnold also earned the pitching victory, scattering six hits and striking out three with no walks in five innings of work.

CSU Stanislaus improved to 32-19 heading into Sunday's 11 a.m. championship game against Sonoma State, unbeaten in the first two days of tournament action. A CSUS win in that game would force another championship contest at 1:30 p.m.

“It's the same story we've faced the whole year,” HSU head coach Frank Cheek said, after his team finished the year with a 38-20 record. “We win one and then we lose one.  This is the last time we'll do that this season.”

On Saturday, CSU Stanislaus put up two runs in the first inning, the only hit Ashlee Genseal's one-out single. That hit was wrapped around four walks surrendered by starting and losing pitcher Gracie Perez, however, giving the Warriors a quick 2-0 advantage.

The Warriors struck for a run in the third, this time without a hit. Meghan Franksen walked, moved up on a sacrifice bunt, and came home on a throwing error that allowed Kimiko Wright to reach base.

Cal State Stanislaus scored three more runs in the fourth inning, the first one coming via a walk to Nikky Rissetto, Alicia Reid's pinch hit single and a successful squeeze bunt by Alyssa Guzman. Erica McIntyre followed with a home run to left field off reliever Nichole Parada, giving the Warriors a 6-0 advantage.

“We stayed composed, executed the short game and hit the long ball,” CSU Stanislaus head coach Jan Schefkowitz said. “It was a great all around effort.”

Humboldt State squandered opportunities in the first and fourth innings, both times leaving runners in scoring position. In the opening frame, Nikki Ketteringham and Natalie Galletly both singled, but were stranded. In the fourth, Galletly singled and Slattery doubled to give the Jacks runners at second and third with no outs, but two groundouts and a strikeout ended the inning with no damage sustained.

Game 4 –Humboldt State 3, MSU Billings 2

ARCATA — Marissa Slattery's run-scoring single to left field was misplayed, allowing another run to score and lifting Humboldt State to a 3-2 win over Montana State Billings in Friday's first elimination game at the NCAA Division II West Region Softball Championships.

Slattery's drive capped a three-run, seventh-inning rally that brought the Jacks back from a 2-0 deficit and improved their record to 38-19 overall. They advance to Saturday's second elimination game,

“We're leaving it up to winning the fairy tale way,” HSU head coach Frank Cheek said. “We knew we'd have trouble against (pitcher Kasie Conder). She throws hard, and we had trouble picking up her change-up.”

Defense backed good pitching by Conder and HSU's Gracie Perez to keep the game scoreless into the sixth inning, when the Yellowjackets put up the first two runs of the contest.  After Amanda Goings reached on a walk, Steph Gosselin drove the ball over the left field fence for a two-run homer.

“Humboldt faced the pressure today and came through,” MSUB head coach Anthony Stone said. “We've been telling our pitchers to just keep us in the game. Kasie did everything she could to win, as a team we did everything possible. It just didn't end in our favor.”

In the decisive seventh, Lindsay Warren led off with a double and scored the Jacks' first run when Ashley Oltjenbruns doubled down the left field line. Oltjenbruns advanced to third on a ground out before Geneva Perrine reached on an error, and both came home following Slattery's sharp single to left.

Montana State Billings finished its season with a 39-17 record, while Conder, who struck out six and gave up eight hits, fell to 16-4 on the season. Perez improved her record to 19-8 with a complete-game four-hitter, striking out five and walking one.

Among the day's highlights was a catch by HSU left fielder Lindsay Warren, who ranged far into the gap to chase down Terina Stacks' long drive in the third inning. Another fielding gem came when MSUB third baseman Leslie David prevented a run by catching a popped-up squeeze bunt attempt and throwing to third to double off the runner.