Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 SAN FRANCISCO --- Going up against the National Collegiate Athletic Association Div. II's leading home run team usually means giving up large amounts of runs. While SF State held Humboldt State to just four total runs on the day, the Gators couldn't outscore the Jacks, falling 2-0 and 2-1 for the doubleheader sweep. The Gators now stand 13-14 overall, 7-10 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, while the Jacks improve to 21-9 and 13-4 in conference.

SF State grabbed five hits in each game, led by Kylie Grabowski, who was the only Gator to post hits in both. Grabowski started with a 1-for-3 showing in the first game and went 2-for-3 in the nightcap, batting in the Gators' lone run. Cara Spence went 3-for-3 in game one and Courtney Gravel knocked down two hits in the nightcap to round out the SF State batters with multiple hits on the day. From the circle, Marisa Ibarra threw six strikeouts in the first game and Emily Gibson tossed four in the nightcap.

"I think our pitching couldn't have done any more for us to keep us in the ball game against a team like HSU, who leads the conference," said head coach Cristina Byrne. "Our offense was kind of stagnant today. Our philosophy is always to string things together and do it as a group and when a couple people aren't hitting well, it kind of slows down our offense."

Humboldt State opened the game with what its known for, a home run. Courtney Hiatt--who had two long balls against the Gators--blasted the ball over the left field fence to give the Jacks a 1-0 lead after the first half inning.

Looking to extend its lead in the top of the second, HSU stepped up to the plate, but Ibarra held the Jacks off. Ibarra snuck pitches past the first and third batters she faced and assisted on the second putout to end the inning with the same 1-0 hole.

The Gators had a chance to respond in the bottom half of the inning as Jennifer Lewis took ball four with one out. Spence sent a blooper into the hole between the Lumberjack second baseman and right fielder to put runners on first and second. Kelsey Murakami advanced the runners to second and third, but sacrificed an out in the process. As momentum built for an SF State two-out rally, HSU squashed it as the Jacks found the third out to end the inning with the 1-0 advantage.

HSU's Chrissy Stalf added another point to her team's tally with a home run well over the right field fence, putting the Jacks up 2-0. Despite getting batters on base, SF State couldn't send them around to home, ending the game 2-0 in favor of Humboldt State.

"I thought our pitching really came out today and did a great job against a team that hits as well as HSU does," said Byrne. "In the first game, it came down to two pitches. Two outs with nobody on at two different times and they hit the ball out. One was a great pitch and I give credit to Chrissy Stalf, she's a great hitter, as she reached out and poked it over the fence."

In the nightcap, the Gators held the Jacks off the scoreboard for the first three innings and struck first in the bottom of the third. With one out and Gabby Reta on first, Gravel singled to right field to push Reta to third and join her on base. Grabowski stepped up to the plate and found a gap on the left side for a base hit, giving Reta the green light to put the Gators up 1-0.

Both teams struggled to find hits in the next two innings, with the Jacks back at the plate in the top of the sixth. Just like she had in game one, Hiatt drilled her second home run of the day over the fence at left to tie the game at 1-1.

While the Gators kept the Jacks off the board in the seventh, they couldn't find the go-ahead run in their chances at the plate to send the game into extra innings. Humboldt State had the first opportunity to take the lead in the top of the eighth. With two outs and runners on second and third, Spence made a crucial stop at first, knocking down a well-hit ball and tagged first to prevent the Jacks from scoring.

SF State went down in order in its half of the inning, taking the game into a ninth inning. With two outs and runners on first and third, Tonya Walker singled through the left side to bat in the go-ahead runner and give the Jacks a 2-1 lead.

Needing one run to keep the game going, Gravel led the bottom of the ninth off with a blooper over the third baseman for a base hit. Grabowski pushed Gravel to second with a sacrifice bunt, but the Jacks grabbed another putout to put more pressure on the Gators. With two outs and Gravel on second, HSU intentionally walked Spence to have a force-out situation. The Jacks found the final out, sealing the 2-1 victory in the process. 

"We just have to get back on track," said Byrne. "If we get those hits rolling, we'll be fine. I'm excited about the fact that we're in all these games and they're tight. They'll fall our way soon if we keep playing the way we are, we just need to play a little better on offense."

The Gators will look to rebound in second half of the CCAA four-game series between Humboldt State and SF State Saturday morning at 11 a.m. back at the SF State Softball field.