ARCATA, Calif. -- Cal Poly Humboldt hosted Chico State on Tuesday and earned the series sweep in dominant fashion after outscoring the Wildcats 17-3 on the day. This marks the fifth straight Lumberjack win and brings them right back into the mix for a playoff push with eight games remaining. Humboldt has beaten Chico in seven of their last eight meetings and currently hold a six game win streak against the NorCal rival. The 'Jacks improved to 22-19 overall and 12-12 in CCAA play. 

Game one featured a offensive showcase with 11 hits, 10 runs, three doubles, and a home run that led to a 10-0 Lumberjack victory by run rule after five innings. The momentum carried over into game two, as the 'Jacks jumped on Chico early with four runs in the first inning and won with a final score of 7-3.
 

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Humboldt partnered with the National Fastpitch Coaches Association to honor those in the fight or have lost the fight to cancer. The team held signs of who they dedicated to play for and each player wore different colored socks to raise awareness for the cancer they chose to support. 



Game One - HUM 10, CHICO 0 (5 Innings)
Humboldt jumped all over the 'Cats in the home half of the first inning, as they tallied seven runs on just five hits. Senior catcher Izzy Starr highlighted the huge inning with two hits, one run, and three runs batted in. Katlyn Gifford and Hailee Moore each had RBI singles and Shelby Shanks collected two RBI's on a double to deep left center. 

With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, Gifford sent a ball over the left field fence on the first pitch for her fourth home run of the season to make it 8-0. She now is tied for the second most homers on the team with second baseman Vanessa Saltos and two behind Izzy Starr who leads the team with six total. 

The two-out rally continued in the fourth inning as the 'Jacks aimed to end the game early. Another Shelby Shanks double was followed up by a McKenna Beach single to put a pair of runners on base. Hailey Meisenbach torched a ball to right center that drove in both runners and gave Humboldt a double digit lead. 

Gaige Garcia pitch a complete game and picked up her eighth win of the season. She allowed just three hits over five innings and struck out six Wildcats. 

Notable Stats

• Izzy Starr: 2-for-3 (2B), 3 RBI, R
• Katlyn Gifford: 2-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 R
• Shelby Shanks: 2-for-2 (2 2B), 2 RBI, 2 R
• Hailee Moore: 2-for-3, RBI, R
• Hailey Meisenbach: 1-for-2, BB, 2 RBI, R
• Gaige Garcia (8-9): 5.0 IP, CG, W, 3 H, 6 K, 0 ER
• This was the first time Humboldt has run ruled Chico since May of 2017
• Seven runs in the first inning is the most runs scored in an inning for Humboldt since April 21, 2023 (seven runs versus Cal State San Bernardino) and most runs in the first inning since February 2, 2022 (10 runs versus Holy Names University)

Game Two - HUM 7, CHICO 3
Humboldt carried their explosive offense into game two, scoring four runs on three hits in the home half of the first inning. Alyssa Smokey got things going with a single through the left side to drive in Izzy Starr and Alyssa Ramirez. Katlyn Gifford came up next and doubled to deep center field that brought home Vanessa Saltos. With two outs, Hailey Meisenbach beat out an infield single to shortstop that allowed Smokey to scratch the fourth run across the plate. In the bottom of the second inning, Saltos hit a towering fly ball that cleared the left field fence for her fourth homer of the season to make it 5-0. 

Vanessa Richie kept her shutout going until the fifth inning, as Chico plated two runs and added another in the sixth to cut the deficit to two runs. The 'Jacks responded with two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth when Gifford torched a ball up the middle that scored Smokey and Saltos. 

After pitching all five innings in game one, Gaige Garcia came in to relieve and secured the sweep after throwing two innings and only allowing one hit. 

Notable Stats

• Vanessa Richie (7-6): W, 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 6 H
• Gaige Garcia: 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 K
• Vanessa Saltos: 2-for-3 (HR), 3 R, RBI
• Katlyn Gifford: 2-for-3 (2B), BB, 3 RBI
• Hailey Meisenbach: 2-for-3, RBI, SB
• Izzy Starr: 1-for-2, 2 BB, R, SB
• Alyssa Smokey: 1-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI

Up Next
The 'Jacks will travel to Southern California and take on first place Cal State Dominguez Hills (28-14, 16-10 CCAA) this Friday and Saturday. Friday's doubleheader will start at 1 PM and Saturday's will begin at 11 AM. All the action can be streamed live on the CCAA Network.