IRVINE, Calif. — Cal Poly Humboldt softball put together a resilient Saturday at the Concordia Kickoff, earning a split against strong non-conference competition and closing the day with a 2–2 record. In game one, the Jacks walked off Jessup University 5–4 in dramatic fashion before settling for a split on the day following a hard-fought 2–1 loss to Azusa Pacific later in the morning.
Game one - Cal Poly Humboldt 5, Jessup 4
Bella Garcia delivered the defining swing of the morning, ripping a two-run walk-off triple in the bottom of the seventh to lift Cal Poly Humboldt to a thrilling 5–4 comeback win over Jessup University on Saturday at the Orange County Great Park.
The Lumberjacks (2-1) trailed for much of the contest before mounting a late rally, capped by Garcia's triple that sent the home dugout into celebration and secured Humboldt's second straight victory.
Jessup struck first with a run in the opening frame and added single tallies in the third and fifth innings, building a 4–2 advantage. Humboldt answered early in the third when Shelby Shanks continued her strong start to the season, drilling an RBI double to left that scored Hailee Moore. The inning continued when Katlyn Gifford reached on an error, allowing Shanks to cross the plate and tie the game at 2–2.
After Jessup reclaimed the lead in the fifth, Humboldt began chipping away. Rylee Banks scored in the sixth on a sacrifice fly from Matea Muraoka, pulling the Lumberjacks within one at 4–3 and setting the stage for late-inning drama.
In the seventh, Marisol Gomez and Andrea Maldonado reached base to start the rally before Garcia stepped to the plate. The sophomore lined a ball down the right-field line, bringing home both runners and sealing the walk-off win.
Ariana Bottel earned the victory in the circle, tossing 5.1 scoreless innings of relief. Bottel allowed just four hits and no earned runs while striking out five, working around five walks to keep Humboldt within striking distance. Mason Hatton started the game, surrendering one run over 1.2 innings.
Offensively, Shanks led the way with a perfect 3-for-3 performance, adding an RBI and a run scored. Alexa Garcia also contributed a strong day at the plate, going 2-for-3 and helping spark the Lumberjack offense from the top of the lineup.
Cal Poly Humboldt finished with nine hits and showed resilience throughout, overcoming three errors and multiple deficits to secure the comeback victory.
Game two - Azusa Pacific 2, Cal Poly Humboldt 1
Cal Poly Humboldt softball went punch-for-punch with Azusa Pacific on Saturday morning, but a two-run fourth inning proved to be the difference as the Lumberjacks narrowly fell 2–1 to the Cougars at OC Great Park.
Humboldt (2–2) stayed within striking distance throughout the contest and threatened multiple times, out-hitting APU 8–6, but couldn't quite deliver the tying run late despite battling to the final out.
After three scoreless innings, Azusa Pacific broke through in the fourth with a two-run double to left-center. From there, Humboldt's defense and pitching locked in, as Lily Fournier kept the Cougars off the board the rest of the way.
Fournier delivered a good performance in the circle, tossing a complete game and allowing just two runs on six hits while striking out four. She was especially sharp after the fourth inning, retiring 11 of the final 13 batters she faced and holding APU scoreless over six frames.
The Lumberjacks answered in the fifth inning. Hailee Moore led off with one of her two hits on the day and later scored on an RBI single up the middle from Katlyn Gifford, cutting the deficit to 2–1. Gifford finished 2-for-4 with a double and Humboldt's lone RBI.
Moore continued to set the tone offensively, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base, while Rylee Banks was a spark at the bottom of the order, finishing a perfect 2-for-2 and laying down a sacrifice bunt to help move runners into scoring position.
Humboldt had chances late, including putting the tying run on base in the seventh, but Azusa Pacific managed to escape to seal the one-run win.
The Lumberjacks will look to bounce back and remain steady as they continue their early-season slate next weekend.
Up Next
Cal Poly Humboldt (2-2) returns to action next week in Southern California with a non-conference game on Thursday against Western Oregon, then play four games in the West Coast Challenge over the weekend, beginning on Friday.
For more information on Cal Poly Humboldt softball, visit humboldtathletics.com, download our mobile app on Apple iOS or Google Android, and follow the Lumberjacks on Instagram, Twitter/X, and Facebook.
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Twitter/X: @HumboldtJacks
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