Cal State East Bay Drops Two to Close Out Series with Humboldt State

  • April 7, 2010

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ARCATA, Calif. - The Cal State East Bay softball team fell to Humboldt State twice on the final day of the four-game series in Arcata, giving the Jacks the four-game sweep. The Pioneers (12-24, 5-19 CCAA) fell in game one, 7-2, before coming out on the losing end of a 3-2 decision in game two after a walk-off homer for Humboldt State.

East Bay opened the scoring in the top of the second inning after freshman Sara Holdridge led off with a walk. After pinch runner Renaye Gamson moved over on a sacrifice bunt, senior Sarah Davini drove in the game's first run with a single to center. Davini moved over to second on a ground out and came around on a single from freshman Ashlee Coronado to give the Pioneers a 2-0 lead.

Humboldt State answered back in the bottom of the third, scoring three runs on two hits to take a 3-2 lead. The Jacks continued to roll in the third inning, getting a two-run homer from Geneva Perrine and a bases-loaded groundout to drive in another run to gain a 6-2 advantage through three innings.

From there, Humboldt starter Vaneza Hoover and reliever Kristina Lewis shut down the Pioneers, allowing just one hit over the next four innings. Meanwhile, the Jacks added another run in the fifth to secure the 7-2 win.

Hoover earned the win, allowing just two runs on five hits in six innings of work. East Bay starter Cat Schorn took the loss, allowing seven runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings.

Game two saw the Pioneers get started immediately, getting on the board in the first inning on a solo homer from junior Nikki Freiberg. East Bay held onto the 1-0 lead through two and a half innings before Humboldt State tied the game at 2-2 in the third.

After a quiet fourth inning, East Bay took a one-run lead in the top of the fifth. Davini drew a one-out walk and stole second before junior Sarah Hasenfus singled up the middle to bring Davini around to score. The Jacks, however, answered back right away, scoring one on an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth.

The game remained tied 2-2 through six and a half innings. Humboldt State came up in the bottom of the seventh and nearly ended the game in the first at-bat of the inning as Lindsay Warren had a homerun taken away from her by Hasenfus in left field. Freshman reliever Lauren Zweigle got a groundout to put two outs on the board before Nikki Ketteringham blasted a shot out to left center to give Humboldt the win and the sweep.

Gracie Perez earned the win, striking out nine and allowing two runs on four hits in seven innings. Zweigle took the loss giving up two runs on three hits in 3.2 innings of work.

Freiberg paced the Pioneers, going 1-for-3 with one run and an RBI, while Hasenfus went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

The Pioneers return to action on Friday, playing host to Cal State Stanislaus for a four-game series at Pioneer Field. Friday's opener is set for a 1 p.m. start.