ARCATA, Calif. – Following a doubleheader sweep of Dominican University last week, Humboldt State softball returns to California Collegiate Athletic Association play as it hosts Cal State San Marcos in a four-game series. First pitch of the series opener is scheduled for Friday, at 1 p.m. at the HSU Softball Field.
The Lumberjacks are currently in the midst of a four-game winning streak and will look to build off their recent success. Haley Suter continues to deliver at the plate after tallying four hits, four RBI, and three runs in seven at-bats versus Dominican. The Roseville, Calif., native leads the team with a .354 batting average and has recorded a hit in six consecutive games.
"It was a successful road trip," said HSU Head Coach Shelli Sarchett. "We haven't had many of those so it was really nice to come home with some wins. It was nice to finally start clicking on both sides of the ball. We needed offense and pitching to work together. After Friday something clicked and when that happens we come out with four wins."
HSU fields one of the conference's most potent offenses as they rank second with 19 home runs and fourth with 157 RBI. The Green and Gold pitching staff continues to battle in the circle but has struggled so far keeping runs off the board, as evidenced by the team's 5.60 ERA.
Cal State San Marcos enters the week after dropping three straight to Sonoma State before edging out a 1-0 victory in the series finale. Melody Forstie delivered an RBI walk-off double in the bottom of the eighth while finishing the weekend with a .308 batting average, four RBI, and a home run.
"San Marcos is having a season a lot like us," said Sarchett. "They haven't been one of the strong teams in the conference. They have a new coaching staff and a lot of new players, so we are going to look for some things we haven't seen before because of everything that's new over there. If we play like we played last weekend we will be fine. If we play as we did early in the season it's going to be a little rough."
The Jacks bested the Cougars last season taking three of the four games.
