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Box Score 2 TURLOCK — This was more than just ending a season on a high note. The Cal State Stanislaus softball team wrapped up its 2014 season by upsetting No. 6 ranked Humboldt State twice — sending the five seniors out in style.
While the seniors all took part in the day's success, a number of underclassmen helped as well as the Warriors completed their year 17-38 overall and 10-26 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. In doing so, the Warriors beat Humboldt State — which had held a 104-12 alltime series record entering today — twice in a season for the first time since 2011.
Soon after the senior day festivities, freshman hurler
Karina Callazo again held the Lumberjacks to just one run in the opener in the Warriors' 3-1 win. Then, the seniors combined to go 7-for-11 and drove in all four runs in the 4-3 series finale win.
To complete the sweep,
Cierrah Mullins highlighted the second game with a 3-for-4, two-RBI performance in her last game. She was a part of all three scoring rallies, scoring in the second inning with after leading off with a single. Mullins drove in a run with a single in the third and scored
Cassidy Duke with a double in the fifth.
Brittney Rickles, a four-year senior from Hughson, went 2-for-2 with a two-run double in the second inning to finish her solid career. The four-year starter ended the 2014 season with just 10 errors at mostly shortstop (she played third on Sunday) — the fewest errors for a Stanislaus shortstop, tying Meghan Franksen's best in 2009.
Kristan Burns went 2-for-3 and scored a run in the second inning as part of the rally that gave the Warriors a 2-0 lead. She exited Warrior Softball Field with nine hits in her final 26 at bats over the final two weekends of her career.
Amy Droege was 1-for-2 with two RBIs in game one and did her job behind the plate as well as giving herself up on a sac bunt that helped with the second-inning rally. She was also hit by a pitch in the fifth that loaded the bases with two outs but an infield pop-up ended that inning.
Brianna Nicholson, who's been hit seven times this season, took an unfortunate bounce in the face and had to leave the game in the finale. Nicholson, the designated player on Sunday, led the team in homers and slugging percentage.
For the youngsters, including Duke, who again hit safely in both games to extend her on-base streak to eight games, they were able to help send the seniors out with a pair of huge victories. Freshman
Melissa Robles went 2-for-2 in game one and junior
Jessica Varady pitched out of a number of jams in game two to earn the victory in the circle. Callazo pithced to the final two batters to collect a save.
Despite allowing 13 hits, Varady escaped the big inning that the Lumberjacks are known for. She got a double-play in the first inning, then a fouled out in the third to leave two runners on base. HSU would strand two more baserunners in each inning the rest of the game.
In the seventh, HSU cut the deficit to one after a Sarah Fox single off Callazo that scored Julie Pena. Callazo got a Hannah Williams to strikeout to set-up another senior moment. A slow roller to first went to the right of Burns, who scrambled for the ball and dove for the bag just in time to beat Alison McKibbon to end the game.
Callazo repeated her performance from Saturday with a complete game. She gave up just a run on six hits and struckout three. In game one of the series on Saturday, after allowing three first-inning runs, she gave up just three singles and faced two batters over the minimum after the second inning.
Humboldt State (43-13, 27-9 CCAA) was led by Tiffany Hollingworth who went 5-for-8 in the Sunday doubleheader. The Lumberjacks will move on to play in the CCAA Championship tournament week in Stockton as the No. 2 seed.