ARCATA, Calif. – The champion of the California Collegiate Athletic Association will be decided on Senior Day Saturday at the Humboldt State Softball Field.
 
The Lumberjacks split Friday's doubleheader against the conference-leading Cal State Monterey Bay Otters. Monterey Bay won game one, 1-0, and HSU captured a 3-1 nightcap victory.
 
HSU improved to 39-13 overall and 25-9 in the CCAA.  The Green and Gold must win both games of Saturday's games in order to secure the league crown. If the Otters win one of the pair, they will clinch the title.
 
"Monterey Bay is a good team, and we played with them the whole day," said HSU Head Coach Shelli Sarchett. "The difference in the two games was execution. We outhit Monterey Bay on the day, but couldn't score the runs we needed in the first game. We scored them in the second."
 
"Our pitchers threw very well today, and Dani Randall came up big for us on the second game. Our defense was solid today and made plays when we needed them."
 
First pitch for game three of series is scheduled for 11 a.m. Senior Day festivities will be held prior to the first game of the doubleheader.
 
"We have to come out tomorrow knowing that we are a strong team and capable of anything when we play together," said Sarchett.
 
Game One
 
Monterey Bay's Cori Reinhardt won the pitcher's duel over HSU's Katie Obbema in a 1-0 win for the Otters.
 
The lone run came in the top of the fourth when Reinhardt opened the inning with a double to left field. Jayme Stark came in to pinch run for the Otters' ace and beat out the throw at third from Tiffany Hollingsworth, who sent the fielder's choice throw to third trying to nab the lead runner off Madison Casto's grounder to second base.
 
On the very next batter, Stark scored easily off Anneliese Lopez's first-pitch single up the middle for the game's only run.
 
The Jacks outhit the league-leading rivals six to five, but stranded 10 runners in the opener.
 
In the bottom of the third, the Green and Gold had an opportunity to score the game's first run with the bases loaded and two outs. Cyndi Chavez sent a one-out single up the middle and moved over to second when Reinhardt walked Holland. Darian Harris loaded the bases up with a single to left field with one out.
 
But the Jacks couldn't get one across as Hollingsworth flied to right and Dani Randall was out at first with a comebacker to Reinhardt.
 
An inning later, HSU had two on with no outs after Hannah Williams walked and Julie Pena singled to third base. But the Otters doubled up Pena at first after Breonna Bejaran struck out.
 
Obbema (18-7) was tacked with her seventh loss of the season — giving up five hits, one earned run, one walk and one strikeout in the complete game.
 
Reinhardt gave up six hits, five walks and struck out five, giving her a 26-2 record on the year.
 
Game Two
 
HSU rebounded from its game one loss and captured a 3-1 victory in the nightcap.
 
Holland opened the game with a leadoff walk and came home two batters later on a Hollingsworth single to put the Jacks ahead 1-0.
 
Randall crushed her ninth home run of the season and extended the Green and Gold's lead to 3-0 in the first frame.
 
Madison Williams kept the Otters hitless over the first three innings en route to her 19^th win of the season. She finished with a complete game, allowed three hits and an earned run in the fourth inning.
 
Alissa Greenhaw plated Monterey Bay's lone run in the late game. She came home on a wild pitch after reaching base on an inning-opening walk.
 
HSU's top hitter in game two was Pena, and she tallied three hits in three at-bats.
 
Lindsey Clarkson took the loss for the Otters. She logged six innings, walked three and yielded six hits. The loss was her seventh of the season.