TURLOCK — Lots of traffic on the base paths Friday afternoon between the Stanislaus State softball team and visiting Cal Poly Humboldt, but not nearly as many runs, as the two teams opened their California Collegiate Athletic Association series with a doubleheader split at Warrior Field.
 
Stanislaus State (6-13, 4-10 CCAA) won the opener, 3-1, while Humboldt (8-14, 4-10 CCAA) edged the Warriors, 5-4, in the nightcap. The teams combined for 41 hits over the two games, but not many big hits, as they also stranded a combined 35 runners. The teams traded off leaving too many runners in scoring position. The Lumberjacks left six runners in scoring position in the opener, and Stan State left 11 in scoring position in game two, including leaving the bases loaded twice.
 
Katie Thornsberry was the lone Warrior with consecutive multi-hit games Friday. She went 2 for 2 with a double, RBI, run scored and a walk in the opener, then went 2 for 4 with a run scored in game two – all from the nine-hole. JoAna Mullins did the same for Humboldt, going 3 for 4 in game one, then 2 for 4 with a double, RBI and run scored in the nightcap.
 
GAME ONE
 
Stanislaus State ace Delaney Pamplin (4-3) gave up nine hits in the opener, but she scattered them through the early frames and in the seventh. She was deft at pitching out of trouble, only allowing one run in 6 2/3 innings. Humboldt stranded nine runners in game one, six of them in scoring position.
 
Pamplin retired eight straight from the fifth to the seventh, but then gave up three straight singles to load the bases in the top of the seventh. Kyndra Marzorini came on in relief and went 2-0 to the first batter she faced, but she got Izzy Starr to fly out to center field to end the game and earn her first save of the season.
 
All the scoring action occurred in the second inning. Humboldt took a 1-0 lead with back-to-back two-out singles, the second one an RBI knock by Ciera Pyle. Melissa Spencer started the Warriors' second-inning rally with a leadoff walk. Then, like Humboldt's rally, it was three consecutive two-out hits that put Stan State ahead. An RBI single by Katie Thornsberry tied the game at 1-1, Lauryn Serda tripled her home with a ball in the sun over the right fielder's head to make it 2-1, and Cherise Mori tacked on an insurance run with an RBI double in the right-center gap.
 
GAME TWO
 
The Warriors threatened in practically every inning of the nightcap. They had a season-high 15 hits in game two, but only three of them drove in runs. The Warriors had runners on both second and third base in five of seven innings played. They had their leadoff batter reach in four innings, but Humboldt was efficient at throwing out lead runners during Stan State rallies. The Lumberjacks threw out seven would-be base runners at second base, third or scoring at home.
 
Stanislaus State's most unfortunate moment came in the bottom of the fifth when it had already rallied to tie the game at 4-4 and was looking for more. The bases were loaded, and Sarah Warden smashed a line drive towards the gap between first and second base, but it struck Cherise Mori as she took off running from the first base bag, resulting in an automatic out and the end of the rally.
 
Humboldt came up clutch in the top of the seventh. Mullins led off the inning with a double to deep left field. She moved over to third on a single by Starr, then scored on a groundout, making it 5-4.
 
The Warriors put the tying and winning runs in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh, but a groundout back to the pitcher ended the game.
 
 
COMING UP
 
The two teams conclude their series on Saturday with another doubleheader scheduled for an 11 a.m. first pitch. Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links online at WarriorAthletics.com.