SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The SF State softball team returns to the road this weekend after a brief two-game home stand.  This weekend the Gators will travel north to take on the No. 7 ranked Humboldt State Lumberjacks in a four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association series starting Friday at noon.

The Gators enter this weekend's contest with an overall record of 6-11 and are 2-8 in the CCAA, last weekend they split with Cal State Stanislaus going 1-1 as Sunday's games were cancelled due to the weather.  SF State scored 7 runs and pounded out a season-high 12 hits in the 7-2 win over the Warriors to start Saturday's double header before falling to CSUS 5-0 in the night cap. 

At the plate, the Gators are hitting .278 as a team which ranks eighth in the conference.  However, the bats are heating up, as SFSU raised its team average seven points over the weekend.  Three players rank in the top-20 in the conference in batting average with sophomore outfielder Jennifer Lewis ranking sixth in the CCAA, hitting at a .426 clip.  Junior Courtney Gravel is 19^th with a .375 average while senior Kelsey Murakami is on fire, raising her average 30 points over the weekend to .372 which ranks 20^th in the conference.

Junior third baseman Lucy Fernandez was named the SF State Female Athlete of the Week after crushing the ball all weekend against Cal State Stanislaus.  She finished the weekend with a .500 average going 3-for-6 with a run scored and two runs driven in.  She is hitting an even .300 on the year but is hitting .316 over the last 10 games.  Her four RBI's in conference play is tied for second on the team.

In the circle the Gators sport a staff ERA of 5.05 which ranks 10^th in the CCAA, in 102.2 innings pitched SF State has surrendered 89 runs, 72 of them earned and are prone to surrendering extra base hits, issuing 10 home runs and 44 doubles on the year. 

Sophomore Emily Gibson turned in one of her strongest outings of the season in game one against the Warriors on Saturday.  The righty went the distance, scattering six hits and two earned runs with three walks and three strike outs to earn her third win of the season.  On the year, Gibson leads the team with a 4.72 ERA and her three wins is tops on the team.  Freshman southpaw Megan Clark leads the squad with 41.2 innings pitched and strike outs with 21.

Sophomore pitcher Jenny Obbema has been solid for the Gators in relief.  In CCAA action she leads the team with a 3.50 ERA, in five appearances she has thrown 12 innings and has allowed just 15.  In her last appearance against Cal State Stanislaus, she came into the game for the Gators in the top of the fifth inning and got SF State out of a jam.  On the day she threw 2.1 scoreless innings scattering one hit with a strike out. 

This weekend's opponent enters the weekend sporting a no. 7 ranking in the National Fast Pitch Coaches Association Top-25 Poll.  The Lumberjacks boast an overall record of 18-5 and are 8-4 in the CCAA which has them sitting third.

As a team the Lumberjacks truly bring the lumber, hitting .315 as a team, but boast an astounding .528 slugging percentage, eight of the nine starters have tallied a long ball on the year with seven players lining up the top-10 in the conference in home runs.  Leading the team at the plate is senior outfielder Sarah Fox who is hitting .441 on the year, her 30 hits is second in the conference.  Freshman second baseman Tiffany Hollingsworth has already had a huge impact on the Lumberjacks, she is tied for second in the conference in home runs with six, and her team-leading 22 RBI also ranks second in the conference.

In the circle Humboldt State boasts a staff ERA of 3.31; they hold opponents to a .270 average in 158.2 innigns pitched and have struck out 72.  Leading the team is Katie Obbema, sister of Jenny.  Katie Obbema is 9-2 with a 2.58 ERA; in 86.2 innings pitched she has allowed 79 hits, 42 runs, 32 earned with 18 walks and 38 strike outs. 

Live stats and radio will be available for all four games this weekend.  The live stats can be found on the schedule page.  The live radio will be provided by KRFH over the internet with sports director Kevin Wyart calling the action live.  A link to that broadcast has also been added to the schedule page.

For up to the minute updates on Gators softball and all of SF State's athletic teams be sure to follow the Gators on twitter @sfstategators.