CARSON – The Humboldt State softball team and Cal State Dominguez Hills opened the 2010 California Collegiate Athletic Association regular season on Friday and split a pair of 1-0 games.  The Toros took the opener and the Jacks won game two.

Humboldt State is now 2-2 on the season, 1-1 in CCAA play.  CSUDH is 3-1 and 1-1 in the conference.

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

In game one, which lasted just 1 hour and 21 minutes, HSU's Vaneza Hoover and the Toros' Stephanie Jimenez, both freshman, dueled.

Hoover scattered five hits over six innings, struck out three and allowed one earned run.  Jimenez allowed just four hits, a walk and struck out seven to earn her first win of the year.  Hoover, the hard luck loser, is now 0-2 with a 1.75 ERA.

Gia Hampton had two of the Jacks four hits, with Chrissy Stalf and Sammi Gilbert accounting for the other two.

The Toros got their run in the third inning on a one-out single by Jessica Marlow, who then reached second on a sacrifice bunt.  Reigning CCAA Player of the Week Katie Garcia came to the plate, singled to center and plated Marlow.

“The hit they got to drive in the winning run; we were trying to walk her,” head coach Frank Cheek said.  “She just poked it and got the RBI.”

Jimenez then set down 12 of the next 14 Lumberjacks she faced, allowing a Courtney Hiatt walk in the fifth and a Hampton single in the sixth, en route to the 1-0 win.

“Jimenez was on, but (Vaneza) Hoover threw well for us,” Cheek said.  “She's had some bad luck.  We haven't hit the ball for her.  If we had, she could easily be 2-0 not 0-2.”

In game two the Jacks scored a run in the top of the first and made it stand up over the next seven frames.

Nikki Ketteringham led off the game with an infield single and advanced to second on a Hampton sacrifice bunt.  Stalf singled to center to move Ketteringham to third. A Hiatt ground out scored Ketteringham and the Jacks led 1-0.

HSU would get only three more base runners off the Toros' Wendy Espindola; two on fielding errors and a walk. 

For the Jacks, Gracie Perez was outstanding in the circle. She allowed just three hits while striking out six batters.  Four times the Toros had runners in scoring position, including a runner at third in the bottom of the seventh, but each time Perez induced the third out and shut CSUDH out. 

The win improves Perez's record to 2-0 on the year and lowers her ERA to 1.00.

“Both teams have good number one and number two pitchers and you saw that today,” Cheek said. 

“We have only scored one run in the last three games, so we are very fortunate to be 2-2 at this point.”

The Jacks and Toros will wrap up the CCAA portion of their series with a doubleheader on Saturday.  First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. Fans can follow the action through live stats at www.gotoros.com.  The two teams will play a single non-conference game on Sunday at 10 a.m.