Fridays have been a problem for Humboldt State softball this season. In their first two series this year, they are 4-0 on Saturdays, but 0-4 on Fridays.
Saturday’s games were cancelled this week due to incliment weather, making their third attempt at a Friday win even more crucial.
The third time was the charm.
The Lady Jacks won their first game 2-1. They followed that up with a tough 4-1 loss in the second game.
“We tried to treat our Fridays like our Saturdays,” head coach Shelli Sarchett said. “We started off that way, but then we rested on that first win and didn’t take that intensity and focus into the second game.”
HSU pitcher Lexee Sheiring threw an absolute gem in the first game, as her only hiccup across seven one-run innings was a solo home run in the fifth inning.
That home run tied the game at one, but the home team would respond.
Hannah Holland started the eventual game-winning rally in the bottom half of the inning. She reached first base on an error by the Stanislaus State shortstop. Holland would later be brought home on a single by Winona Vigil.
Back-to-back two-run innings to start the second game put the Jacks in too big of a hole to overcome. The Jacks had a tough time getting runners on base, as they were held to just six hits.
Their biggest scoring threat came in the third inning as they loaded the bases with only one out in the inning. Holland singled in Humboldt’s only run of the game with one out, and it looked like they had the momentum they needed to make a comeback.
Unfortunately for the Jacks, opposing pitcher Megan Stacy got out of the jam with only one run allowed and never looked back from there.
Stacy had Humboldt hitters looking puzzled throughout the game as she struck out seven batters during her complete game.
“She was very much in control that game,” Holland said. “We had a tough time figuring her out. She had a really good rise-ball.”
The series split moves the Lady Jack’s record to 7-8 overall, with a 5-5 record within the California Collegiate Athletic Association. They will play their next series this weekend at Cal State San Marcos.
