ARCATA, Calif. – Humboldt State softball returns to California Collegiate Athletic Association play this week as they travel to Southern California for a four-game series versus Cal State San Bernardino. First pitch for the series opener is scheduled for 1 p.m., Friday, April 5, at Coyote Softball Field.
The Lumberjacks enter the week following a Tournament of Champions run that saw the Green and Gold walk away with a 3-2 record. HSU came out strong on day one and recorded a pair of wins against Montana State Billings and Concordia (Ore.). Day two began with a 10-2 defeat at the hands of Azusa Pacific before the Jacks rebounded for a 9-5 victory over Holy Names. In the tournament finale, the North Coast squad fought hard before dropping a close 3-1 ballgame to Hawaii Hilo.
"It's nice to come out of a weekend with a winning record," said Head Coach Shelli Sarchett. "I felt we could have taken that last game against Hilo after playing a really strong game, and it would have been nice coming out of there 4-1. It's been a rough season, so coming out with a 3-2 record was really strong, and we just have to create some momentum going into the rest of conference."
Illa Haley turned in a solid weekend after hitting .400 with six hits, three runs, and an RBI, while Haley Suter also contributed at the plate going 5-for-14 with five hits, two runs, and three RBI. Danica Grier is hitting a team-best .352 on the year and her 11 doubles are tied for a CCAA best. The Jacks boast some power in the middle of the lineup as sluggers Mariah Tovar and Rylie Carlier are tied for third in the conference with five round-trippers apiece.
Cal State San Bernardino had a 3-2 mark at the Tournament of Champions. The Coyotes have two of the conference's most consistent hitters, as Dominique Walker (.414) and Morgan Ratliff (.394) are ranked fifth and sixth respectively in batting average. San Bernardino has been extremely effective in the circle posting a team ERA of 2.27. The Green and Gold will rely on their patience at the plate to raise pitch counts and get runners aboard as their 113 walks are the third-best mark in the conference.
"San Bernardino is in the middle of the pack," said Sarchett. "They have won a lot, but they have also lost some, it's just the way the CCAA is going this year. It's a tough place to play especially if the winds pick up. We are going to go out there and continue to play the game of softball and hope for the best. I think this last weekend in Turlock was a great confidence builder for our pitchers, and they are going to continue to keep us in ball games and let our offense do the work. If we want to get some more victories we need to have both sides of the ball working, we need our hitting and our pitching working at the same time, simple as that."
