The grass was a shimmering green and the sun was shining Saturday afternoon, but it was a cloudy day for the SF State softball team as they lost a weekend doubleheader against third ranked Humboldt State. The Gators lost game one 5-3, and came close to winning game two, but fell short 4-3.
“I’m extremely proud of how the girls performed,” said head coach Lisa Allen. “Humboldt is a great opponent and we competed really well and we had a chance to win both games today. Our offense made really good adjustments at the plate and our pitchers did a really awesome job at mixing it up.”
The Gators were down 2-0 up until the fifth inning of game one when they came back and took the lead 3-2. It was a bittersweet moment for the Gators when they gave up their lead by allowing one run in the sixth inning that would tie the game, and then another two runs in the last inning.
“Even though the other team came back and scored in the remaining innings, it’s always good to remember that we can’t just score in one inning,” said pitcher Jenny Obbema. “We have to keep pushing. We can’t keep putting the nail to the coffin, we have to keep going.”
In game two of the doubleheader, the game hinged on one key at bat. It was the bottom of the 7th, with two left on base and two outs. Kelly Shaw stepped up to home plate to bat in the hope that she could hit a game-winner and bring home teammate Sara Higa on second and Madison Collins on third. Shaw had two options: tie the game and send it to extra innings or go for the win.
The tension was building up as Shaw hit a couple of foul balls. Then Shaw hit a towering fly ball to center outfield , in what almost was a homer, but was caught by Humboldt state to give the Lumberjacks a 4-3 win.
Earlier in the game, the Gators trailed in the first inning as the Lumberjack’s took advantage of the errors made and scored four runs, which gave the impression of a blow out score, but that quickly changed as the Gators scored in the fifth inning and two more in the sixth, turning it into a ball game.
“I think the team did fantastic,” said pitcher Megan Clark. “To come back from a four nothing deficit and turn it into a 4-3 ball game and almost winning is truly fantastic. We turned it into a good battle.”
Humboldt State currently sits in first place with a record of 32-2 in the CCAA softball standings and SF State has a record of 17-17.
“I am very proud on how the team played and I think it was a great performance on Senior Day,” Allen said. “We competed very well against Humboldt and we hope to show everyone what Gator softball is all about.”
The Gators next game will be against Sonoma State at 1 p.m. Monday at the SF State softball field.
