Lumberjack Notes
On paper, the Jacks struggled at the plate in the first two games against Cal State Dominguez Hills, something very uncharacteristic of the Lumberjack squad. HSU had to combat inconsistent officiating, something head coach Frank Cheek knows is another factor of the game he and his team cannot change, but have to adjust to.
"The first problem we had as coaches was adjusting to the officials," said Cheek. "I tell the girls all the time, that's one part of the game we cannot control. Weather, the infield turf, the outfield turf and officials are all things we cannot control."
After only registering three hits in the first day, the Jacks turned right around and drilled five homeruns off the same pitching, on the same field, but Cheek isn't drawing any conclusions.
"We want to get them on a neutral field," said Cheek. "We hope to meet them at the post-season tournament. We want to see them again."
Despite the HSU's frustrations from its first two conference games, two Lumberjacks hit two homeruns on Sunday. Courtney Hiatt hit two homers in the first game and All-American Felicia Viveiros, who leads the Jacks with a .519 average, hit one in each game. Fellow All-American Chrissy Stalf also knocked one out of the park in the second game to bring her average to .462 at the plate.
"Viveiros and Stalf are off on another All-American adventure," said Cheek. "They played good defense and hit the ball well."
Sammi Gilbert also hit well over the weekend for the Jacks to round out the third spot with a .400 batting average. Alicia Reid isn't far behind Gilbert, hitting .385 after posting a homer as HSU's first hit of the season.
Defensively, Cheek felt his team had some mistakes that need cleaning up, but takes the games over the weekend as a learning experience. The Jacks only practiced twice leading up to the games against CSUDH, and after seeing the Toros play Friday afternoon, the girls felt confident they were ready to play—a confidence Cheek believes they will still carry over into the weekend's games.
Penguin Notes
Dominican, who like the Jacks, competed in the Best of the West Invitational two weeks ago, but haven't faced any opponents since. The Penguins split their first doubleheader of the season against Metro State before the tournament, and grabbed their only BWI victory over San Francisco State in a tight 5-4 result.
Kellie Hislop and Jessi Saaty both register a .333 average at the plate, with Hislop providing more heat. In 18 appearances at the plate, Hislop has posted six hits, including two doubles and a triple with five RBIs. Defensively, the Penguins remain pretty solid with a .931 fielding percentage.
Urban Knight Notes
Academy of Art returns home after participating in the Montana State Billings Desert Stinger in Las Vegas, Nev., with two victories and three losses. The Urban Knights beat Lewis (4-2) and Western Washington (7-5), but fell to Simon Fraser (10-5), Sonoma State (13-2 in five innings) and Western Oregon (2-1).
Elyse Cordova leads the Urban Knights, batting a solid .414 at the plate. Ashley Lokey follows closely behind, batting .364 of 12 hits in 33 at-bats, including two homeruns. Genna Allen and Andrea Hanchey provide power for Academy of Art, both have homered three times so far this season.
Injury Report
Jessica George is nursing a hip injury, but continues to take the circle for the Jacks. Hiatt continues to make steady strides in recovering from knee injury and even got in behind the plate for two of the four games against Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Cheek's Comments
"Our younger players needed experience and they got it against CSUDH. The ball was on us quicker, routine balls that we missed. Defensively, however, we played better than they did even with the errors. We had great relays and made some outstanding plays. ... I have to give credit to George. She has a hip injury and pitched a good game. We should've won for her. ... We have time this week to correct our problems. I'm looking forward to a good weekend. ... I saw Dominican play at the Best of the West tournament and the Penguins are a much improved team over the years. They're definitely a team to be reckoned with. ... I also saw Academy of Art play. At this point, we're comparable. Hopefully, our hitters will carry us through. ... It would be very difficult to lose four games and win the regular season, but it's not unreasonable for us to win the California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament and get an at-large bid. ... We have good seniors who are good ball players. They'll win games for us. Our attitude is good thanks to them. They're keeping the younger players team-oriented."
