Softball: Prescott strikes out 13, Jacks clinch title

ARCATA - Lizzy Prescott struck out 13 and gave up only one hit, leading Humboldt State to a 5-1 victory over Chico State that clinched the California Collegiate Athletic Association title for HSU on Friday.

With the win, the Lumberjacks claimed their second CCAA crown in the two years they've been league members. They'll finish up the regular season Saturday with an 11 a.m. doubleheader against the Wildcats.

In Friday's second game, Chelsea Lundberg's sixth-inning home run broke a 1-1 tie that held since the first inning, lifting the Wildcats to a 2-1 win and a split of the doubleheader. Lauren Walker pitched the complete game win for Chico State, holding HSU to two hits without giving up a walk, striking out one batter.

“(Walker) was never in jeopardy,” said Humboldt State head softball coach Frank Cheek. “She threw a good game and we didn’t hit the ball that hard off of her.”

In the opener, Prescott was dominant once again, keeping Chico State from mustering any scoring threat until Lundberg's solo homer in the bottom of the seventh. Eleven of the first Wildcats' hitter went down via the strikeout.

Humboldt State opened the scoring in the first inning without a hit. Following a walk and two Chico State errors, Nikki Ketteringham crossed the plate to put the Jacks ahead.

The Lumberjacks added two more runs in the fifth on RBI singles by Ketteringham and Francesca West, then plated two more runs the next inning on Natalie Galletly’s two-run single.

In game two, the Wildcats got on the board immediately in the first inning on an Allison Smith RBI double. But the Jacks answered back in the bottom half on a Marissa Slattery RBI single to tie the game.

However, that would be all the offense the Jacks could get off Walker, who evened her record at 10-10 on the season. Prescott suffered the loss, dropping her to 36-8.

For the season, the Jacks' record now stands at 45-15 overall and 22-8 in the CCAA while the Wildcats are now 25-26 overall and 13-17 in league.

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