BILLINGS, Mont.--- Junior transfer
Karen Di Dio earned her first win as a Lumberjack as she picked up a complete game victory in Humboldt State's 7-4 night cap win over the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets. Di Dio struck out six while pitching seven innings, giving up nine hits and four runs. The Yellowjackets took the opener 13-0 in five innings.
GAME ONE: Montana State Billings (5-13) took a 4-0 lead after the first inning which was capped by a Sidney Pollard base-clearing double. The hosts increased their lead to 6-0 on a two-run home run by Hailee Gregerson in the bottom of the second. MSUB added six more runs in the bottom of the third keyed by a three-run home run by Allie Hughes to take a 12-0 lead. Marin Penney's solo home run in the fourth increased the Yellowjackets' lead to 13-0 after four innings.
Alyssa Etheridge (2-2) retired the Lumberjacks in order in the top of the fifth as MSUB took the 13-0 (5) run ruled series opener. She gave up just one hit off the bat of
Danica Grier while striking out three and walking one.
Emily McAdams (0-1) suffered the loss in the circle for HSU with
Ava Hand and
Megan Holt pitching the final three innings.
GAME TWO: Humboldt State (1-1) took advantage of some MSUB miscues to take a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning.
Vanessa Saltos scored the Lumberjacks' first run on a one-out double by
Alyssa Ramirez. Saltos reached on a fielder's choice and went to second when
Morgan Brant reached on a MSUB error. She then scored on Ramirez's double. Brant scored on a single by
Jenna Sobrero single. Ramirez scored when
Micaela Harris hit an inning ending double play as HSU took a 3-0 lead.
Sobrero halted a rally by the Yellowjackets' rally in the bottom of the third when she threw out a runner at second trying to stretch a single into a double.
Izzy Starr's two-out single made it 4-0 Lumberjacks in the top of the third. Starr's single scored McAdams which reached on a lead-off single and later scored on the single.
HSU added another insurance run in the top of the fourth on a successful double steal attempt by McAdams and Harris which Harris crossed home on to increase the guests' lead to 5-0.
MSUB cut into the 'Jack lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Payton Reynolds singled home Pollard with the Yellowjackets' first run of the game, but was thrown own at third on a throw by Sobrero in center.
The hosts made it interesting in their half of the sixth inning. Frazier had a lead-off single and went to second on an errant throw. She scored on a single by Hughes. With two outs, Sydney Norwood tripled home Hughes and she scored on a single by Pollard to cut HSU's lead to 5-4. Di Dio struck out the final MSUB batter to end the inning for the hosts.
HSU took a 7-4 lead after a two-run seventh. Grier had a lead-off home run.
Haley Suter doubled and scored when Starr reached on an error.
Di Dio retired the Yellowjackets in order in the bottom of the seventh as HSU took the 5-4 night cap win.
Grier finished the night-cap two-for-four with a run batted in while Starr also had two hits for the Lumberjacks.
The two teams will finish off their four-game weekend series tomorrow morning with an 11am (MT) starting doubleheader in Billings, Mont.
