SAN FRANCISCO – An offensive eruption helped the San Francisco State softball team split with visiting Humboldt State on Friday. The Gators dropped game one, 4-1 before knocking 13 hits in the 5-1 game two victory.
The win is the first victory over Humboldt State since 2014 when the Gators upset the then-No. 7 Lumberjacks, 1-0. It is the first home win over Humboldt State since 2011.
Humboldt State (18-20/13-11 CCAA) took a 3-0 lead in the first of game one on Rylie Carlier's three-run home run to left.
Madison Collins got the first Gator (19-25/14-15 CCAA) hit of the afternoon on a sharp single up the middle in the second.
Lindsey Cassidy sat down the Lumberjacks in order in the third and fourth, however in the fifth the visitors got on the board again. Hannah Holland singled to right that plated Danica Grier from second to make it 4-0.
Collins led off the fifth with a single to right, one of her three base hits of the day. After advancing to second,
Mallory Cleveland knocked a double to right-center to plate the senior and get on the board.
Cassidy went the distance in the effort, striking out one. Collins recorder her fifth multi-hit performance of the season and reached base for the 24
th-straight contest.
The bats came alive in game two of the day, and SF State got a 1-0 lead in the third. With one down,
Hayley Nunes singled to left-center, and moved to second on
Katie Rohrer's walk. Collins was hit by a pitch to load the bases, setting the table for
Sara Higa who knocked the first pitch she saw to left field for a RBI single.
Humboldt loaded the bases in the fifth looking to knot the score, but
Karla Soto jammed Hanna Holland and got her to ground out, ending the threat.
Higa led off the fifth with a double to right and was replaced by pinch runner
Marielena Torres. This brought up Cleveland, who attempted a sacrifice bunt but reached on a throwing error by the first baseman, which also scored Torres. The Gators added three more in the sixth to take a 5-0 advantage late. With one down, Collins singled to center and stole second. Higa followed with a single of her own, and the pair scored on Cleveland's double to right.
Angelica Terrel then followed with a double, capping off the three-run frame.
The Lumberjacks broke through in the seventh as Grier doubled home Lona Dengler, but catcher
Kylee Brown ended the game as she fired down to
Michelle Castro at second to pick off Dengler.
Soto recorded her tenth complete game of the season. Nunes, Higa, Cleveland, and Brown each had multiple hits in game two, and Cleveland notched two RBI in the victory.
Up Next
The Gators look to take the series tomorrow, with a twin bill starting at 11 a.m. Live stats will be provided, and be sure to follow @sfstate_sb on Twitter for in-game updates.
