CHICO – Saturday began with tears of emotion as the Chico State softball team said goodbye to its five departing seniors. The day ended with genuine tears of joy, as the Wildcats earned a doubleheader and series split with Humboldt State in the most unconventional way imaginable. After falling in the first game 6-2, the Wildcats scratched and clawed for 10 grueling innings in the nightcap, stealing a 2-1 win from the Lumberjacks when Ashley Huff scored from third on an intentional walk wild pitch.
 
The Saturday split upped Chico State's season record to 24-18 and California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) mark to 17-15, leaving the Wildcats in fifth place, just a half-game behind Cal State San Bernardino and one game ahead of Cal State Dominguez Hills with a week remaining in the regular season. Humboldt State finished the weekend 38-12 overall, slipping into second place in the CCAA standings with a 24-8 conference mark.

 

While the doubleheader split still leaves the 'Cats on the outside looking in for a berth in the CCAA Championship Tournament – the conference's top four teams play in the double-elimination tourney May 1-3 – Chico State almost assuredly strengthened their No. 7 West Region ranking by taking two over the weekend from Humboldt State, which entered the series as the No. 12 team in the nation.
 
The Wildcat offense continued a productive weekend, banging out 15 hits Saturday. Brynn Lesovsky came through with three hits on the afternoon, with Huff, Alli Cook, Tori Zimmermann, Emily McEnaney and Desiree' Gonzalez each picking up two hits on the day.
 
Game one of Saturday's double dip saw the Lumberjacks jump out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but Chico State pulled even with a run in the bottom of the first as Cook scored from third on a bases loaded walk to Gonzalez, and another in the third on an RBI single by Kelli Keefe.
 
A solo homer by Alison McKibbon put the Lumberjacks back on top in the fourth, then Humboldt broke the game open with three more runs in the sixth. The Wildcats got a handful of runners aboard in the sixth and seventh innings, but Lumberjacks starting pitcher Katie Obbema had little problem recording the final six outs needed to lock down Humboldt's 6-2 victory. Obbema got credit for her 18th win of the season, outdueling the Wildcats' Haley Gilham, whose record dipped to 12-8 on the year.
 
The Wildcats drew first blood in the nightcap, as Huff scored from third on a McEnaney groundout in the bottom of the third inning. Humboldt immediately answered when Brooke Langeloh walked Julie Pena with the bases loaded in the top of the fourth to tie the score.
 
The game went into extra innings still deadlocked at 1-1, but it wasn't for lack of trying by both teams. Humboldt State loaded the bases in the fifth inning but came away empty, then in the sixth Huff delivered a one-hop strike from left field to Tori Zimmermann to throw out Kelly Sonnemann at the plate to end the inning. The Wildcat had a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with two outs against Lumberjacks starting pitcher Madison Williams, but Cook hit into a force play to end the inning and send the game into extra frames.
 
Humboldt State let a pair of scoring opportunities get away in extra innings – the Lumberjacks stranded a runner in scoring position in the eighth, then put a runner on third with one out in the ninth only to have the inning end on a pop-up bunt double play. A one-out double by McEnaney in the bottom of the eighth gave the Wildcats a chance to push across the game-winner, but Williams was able to wiggle out of the jam unscathed.
 
Chico State looked poised to pull out the victory in the bottom of the 10th when Huff led off the inning with a triple to center field. A pair of groundouts failed to drive her in, so with two outs, Humboldt elected to walk McEnaney intentionally. That brought up Gonzalez, and with runners at first and third and two outs, the Lumberjacks decided to issue another free pass. But the first pitch of the intended intentional walk sailed high and wide of catcher Darian Harris and flew all the way to the backstop. Huff broke from third, sliding in just under the tag of Williams covering the plate to give Chico State the thrilling 2-1 victory and the doubleheader split.
 
Cailin Garmon, who replaced Langeloh in the pitcher's circle in the eighth inning, tossed three innings of shutout relief to earn her first-ever victory as a Wildcat, evening her season record at 1-1.
 
Chico State concludes the regular season next weekend with a huge four-game series in Southern California against Cal State Dominguez Hills. Friday's series-opening doubleheader is slated to get underway at 1 p.m., with Saturday's twinbill starting at 11 a.m.