Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 SAN FRANCISCO – There were some long balls, but it was pitching that brought home the victories when Humboldt State swept a doubleheader (2-0, 2-1) over San Francisco State in California Collegiate Athletic Association action on Friday.
 
Humboldt (14-4 in CCAA, 22-9 overall) has won 11 games in a row. San Francisco State drops to 7-11 in league and 13-14 overall. The Jacks are in first place, two games ahead of nationally-ranked Sonoma State.
 
In the opening game freshman Katie Obbema (7-1) pitched a five-hit shutout. She got out of a jam in the fourth inning, thanks to the pitcher's best friend, a 6-4-3 double play.
 
“We played fantastic defense in the first game,” said HSU head coach Frank Cheek. “The infield played outstanding, and that's what basically kept us in the game.”
 
Seniors Courtney Hiatt and Chrissy Stalf hit solo home runs for the Jacks in the victory. Hiatt also hit two doubles in the game.
 
“I'm just really comfortable up at the plate right now,” Hiatt said. “I'm seeing the ball really well and kind of knowing the situations, knowing what's going to be pitched to me. I'm just capitalizing on that.” Hiatt is third in the CCAA witih nine home runs.
 
In the nightcap freshman Lizzie Perez (12-4) pitched a nine-inning complete game, allowing four hits. HSU's Tonya Walker, a junior, matched that hit total by herself, going 4-for-5 with an RBI single in the ninth to break a 1-1 tie.
 
Perez also got out of trouble with a double play in the third inning when the Gators scored an unearned run and had runners on first and second with one out.
 
“The double plays weren't second to first,” Cheek said. “They were around the horn with pickoffs and run downs where you could make a mistake, and we didn't.”
 
Hiatt tied the game in the sixth with her second home run of the day. The winning rally in the ninth was started by Julie Pena who led off with a single. She advanced to second on a bunt. With two outs Stalf was walked, setting up Walker for her go-ahead hit.
 
“Second game could've gone either way,” Cheek said. “We thought the first game would be our hardest game because their pitcher (Marisa Ibarra) is tough. We felt we could hit the second pitcher (Emily Gibson), but she kept us off balance with changeups and off-speed pitches. Walker played outstanding.”
 
Stalf's eight-game winning streak was broken in the second game when she went 0-for-4 with a walk. But her home run in the first game was the 41st of her career, tying the CCAA record.
 
“You win a ballgame 2-1, you have to be happy about that,” Cheek said.  “S.F. State has beat some good teams. They won the first Best of the West tournament in Turlock, and they've taken 4-out-of-5 games against Cal State Dominguez Hills. I don't know anyone who's done that; we certainly haven't.  I'm pleased with the outcomes of the games, we wanted it.”
 
The two teams play another doubleheader on Saturday at San Francisco State. The first game begins at 11 a.m.