TURLOCK – With a pair of wins in Sunday's bracket play at the Mizuno Tournament of Champions, the Humboldt State softball team won the Bronze Bracket Championship. 

The Jacks defeated the Yellowjackets of Montana State-Billings 7-6 to advance to the championship game against Cal State East Bay.  In the championships contest HSU won 8-0 in six innings over the Pioneers.

The wins improve the Lumberjacks record to 16-19 on the season.

HSU v. MSU-Billings Box Score
HSU v. Cal State East Bay Box Score

Trailing 4-3 in the top of the sixth inning against Montana State, Geneva Perrine led off with a double, followed by a Chrissy Stalf RBI single to tie the game at 4-4. Three batters later Serena Aragones singled to give the Jacks runners on first and second.  Anna Feick then delivered with a two-out, two-run double to push the HSU ahead 6-4.

With one out, and Lumberjacks on second and third, in the top of the seventh, Stalf got an infield single to plate Humboldt State's seventh run.  It would prove to be critical.

In the bottom of the inning, the Yellowjackets opened with three consecutive hits and scored two runs, cutting the Jacks lead to 7-6.   Gracie Perez (6-6), who came on in relief in the second inning, then set the next three batters down to earn the win.

The Jacks pounded out 15 hits, three each from Nikki Ketteringham and Stalf.  Stalf and Feick each had two RBI.

In the championship game, starter Vaneza Hoover scattered five hits over six innings in earning her eighth win of the season and for the second game in a row the Jacks had 15 hits.

In the third inning HSU opened the scoring.  With Sammi Gilbert on third and one out, Ketteringham tripled to right field plating Gilbert.  Ketteringham then scored on a passed ball.  Three batters later a Fieck RBI single to center capped the inning and gave HSU a 3-0 lead.

In the fifth, the Lumberjacks put its first two batters on base.  Stalf doubled to left center plating the two runs for a 5-0 Jacks lead.  They would get three more hits and two more runs to take a 7-0 lead after five complete.

In the sixth, Humboldt State had runners on second and third with two outs, when pinch hitter Claire Hoose doubled to center to drive in the game-ending run in an 8-0 HSU win.

"It was good to finish the weekend off with three wins,” assistant coach Shelli Maher-Sarchett said.  “Our hitting is starting to come around and our pitchers are doing their job.

“We needed these wins and have to take this momentum into the rest of our league schedule.  I'm really proud of the way the girls are starting to come through for us.”