ARCATA, Calif. ? The No. 14 UC San Diego softball squad, despite a late rally in the second half of Friday's doubleheader, dropped two games on the road against No. 6 Humboldt State.
The rivalry between the Lumberjacks and Tritons, No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in the Division II West Region, will continue with another doubleheader Saturday starting at 11 a.m. Live stats of the games can be retrieved at HsuJacks.com.
In the first contest Friday, HSU's 2007 All-American pitcher Lizzy Prescott held UCSD scoreless while allowing just two hits and striking out 12 hitters. Both of those hits came off the bat of junior rightfielder Allison May.
The Lumberjacks got on the scoreboard in the second inning as Prescott silenced the Triton offense entirely through the middle innings. In UCSD's final at-bat, May collected a two-out double to represent the tying run. Unfortunately for the Tritons, sophomore catcher Nicole Saari stranded her teammate by striking out.
In spite of the loss, senior southpaw Melissa Ward's complete game was the 79th of her career, a mark that moves her into sole possession of first place in the Triton all-time ranks for that category.
HSU scored a run in the first inning of the next game off UCSD starter Lauren Chastain. After getting two outs in that inning, Chastain was replaced by Ward to match up once again with Prescott. The Lumberjack attack didn't let up though against Ward, knocking two home runs in the third inning and another in the fifth to extend their lead to 5-0.
The Tritons wouldn't go down with a fight as freshman shortstop Sarah Woofter followed a Randelle Bundy walk with a two-run homer in the top of the sixth. It was Woofter's fourth home run of the season. Later in the team's at-bat senior second baseman Danielle Lukk collected a single to score May, who has now hit safely in 11 of the last 12 games after a single of her own.
Holding a 5-3 lead, the Lumberjacks managed to add three of their own though in the bottom half of the inning to push their advantage back to five runs.
Prescott, pitching in her 247th inning of 2008, shut down UCSD in order during the top of the seventh to close out the 8-3 victory.
The Tritons are now 28-16 overall and 13-11in California Collegiate Athletic Association play while HSU sits at 38-14 and 15-7.
Elsewhere around the league Friday, CCAA leader Cal State Stanislaus split a doubleheader at home against San Francisco State. CSUS is now 17-9 in league action.
