Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics

The Cal Poly Humboldt softball team split a doubleheader at conference frontrunners Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday to keep their postseason hopes alive.

The Jacks won game one 4-0, before dropping the second game 2-1 in eight innings.

They led game two until the bottom of the seventh, but the home team tied the game late to force extra innings and would salvage a split with a walk-off victory in the bottom of the eighth.

With the split, the Jacks are now 23-20 on the season and 13-13 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association and tied with San Francisco State for fifth in the standings with six games remaining.

The top six teams in the final conference standings will qualify for next month’s CCAA tournament.

In game one on Friday, Humboldt pitchers Gaige Garcia and Vanessa Richie combined for the shutout win in the circle, giving up just five hits.

Garcia pitched six innings for the victory and is now 9-9.

Designated player Alyssa Smokey led an eight-hit team performance at the plate and was 2-for-4 with a home run and a double.

Former Eureka Logger McKenna Beach finished 1-for-4 with an RBI.

The Jacks opened the scoring in the top of the second, but just one run separated the two teams until the top of the sixth inning, before the Humboldt women added some late insurance runs.

Alyssa Smokey

The home team, however, would battle back to take game two despite trailing for much of the game.

Shelby Shanks hit a home run for the Jacks’ only score of the game.

The two teams will conclude a four-game series with two more games on Saturday.

The Jacks will close out the regular season with a doubleheader at home against Cal State San Bernardino next Friday and Saturday.