ARCATA, Calif. – Saturday's home opener didn't produce the results the Humboldt State softball team was expecting.
After losing a six-run lead to Cal State San Bernardino and falling 7-6 in game one, HSU rebounded in game two – splitting its home-opening twinbill with a 3-1 win.
"We love the fact that we're playing in front of our home crowd, but to not pull off that first game with a six-run lead is unacceptable," said HSU Head Coach
Shelli Sarchett. "The girls know it, I know it and the fans know it."
"What we have to do, and what we did in the second game is keep our heads up and come back. The win shows the character of our team. They are not going to get down and just bury themselves. They're going to come back in the next game, and that is what we have to do tomorrow. We have to come back in both games tomorrow and walk out of here with two more wins."
With the split the Jacks move to 10-7 overall and 7-3 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The Coyotes are now 10-12 overall and 2-7 in conference play.
Humboldt State and San Bernardino resume their four-game series Saturday. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. at HSU.
GAME ONE The Jacks were in control of game one and led 6-0 in the top of the sixth. The Green and Gold scored two runs in each of the first three innings.
Freshman center fielder
Hanna Holland opened the game with a lead-off homer to dead centerfield against Coyote starter Cassandra Williams. Two batters later,
Tiffany Hollingsworth's RBI double brought in
Darian Harris, who singled to left field to reach base.
Holland and
Alison McKibbon added to Humboldt State's lead with smart baserunning. Holland scored on a wild pitch, while McKibbon crossed the plate on a San Bernardino throwing error to first base.
Three straight hits from
Dani Randall (single to right),
Hannah Williams (single to left) and
Breonna Bejaran (RBI double to center) gave the Jacks a 5-0 advantage in the third.
Lindsey Zito, who pinch ran for Williams, registered HSU's final run on a walk with the bases loaded.
Katie Obbema was cruised through four innings, struck out four and gave up just three hits. In the fifth she escaped a bases-loaded jam after walking the lead-off batter and back-to-back singles.
Sarchett decided to rest Obbema in the top of the sixth, and she gave relief pitcher
Robin Johnson the ball.
Johnson only faced five batters, and surrendered three hits and one run. Obbema re-entered the game with two outs and runners on first and second.
The Coyotes' Nicole Nobbe sent an RBI single to center to score Mary Menicucci. The next batter, Ashley Leffingwell sent a three-run home run over the left field fence –trimming the Jacks lead to 6-5.
San Bernardino completed the comeback in the top of the seventh when Melissa Roberts' triple scored Brittany Resendez and starting pitcher Williams, sealing HSU's 7-5 loss.
"It's hard. You always think 'Are you making the right changes?'. I can second guess myself all day long if things don't go right," Sarchett said. "But I believe in all 24 of my ball players. And the only way we're going to do it, is if we're doing it as a team. We aren't going to rely on one individual, and in the first game it wasn't all Obbema. We left runners on bases. We've got to be able to finish a game."
The Coyotes sent in Jaime Nelson for two innings, and she held the Jacks scoreless – only giving up three hits. Williams re-entered in the bottom of the sixth to get the win.
Obbema took the loss after giving up 10 hits and four earned runs.
Holland went 2-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs in the loss.
GAME TWO Humboldt started game two out the same it did the first, with a solo homer. This time, Harris sent the shot over the centerfield fence to get on the board first.
Madison Williams got the start for the Jacks in game two – her third impressive performance in as many games.
The right-handed sophomore held the Coyotes scoreless for 6.1 innings. Williams struck out four, gave up one run and four hits in her complete game start.
"Maddie is coming back strong. She's been a different Maddie for the most part since coming back from Vegas," said Sarchett. "The difference has been her level of confidence. She's had more confidence in herself, as well as the team. She's going to go out there and she's going to throw."
In the bottom of the fourth,
Carly Perkins' double to centerfield scored McKibbon from first. Perkins scored the final run of the day off a
Cyndi Chavez single.
Chavez had a frightening moment on the field in the top of the inning. While covering the bag on a sac bunt, Chavez took a clean, hard slide from San Bernardino's Menicucci. The shortstop had to be carried off the field. Her status is day-to-day.
The Coyotes' lone run came in the top of the seventh. Monica Maddox scored on a fielding error by the Jacks.
Harris went 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored in Humboldt State's game two win.
