BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 Sonoma State 6, #6 Humboldt State 3 -- Box Score
#6 Humboldt State 8, Sonoma State 6 -- Box Score

STOCKTON, Calif. -- The Sonoma State softball team forced a winner-take-all game seven with a 6-3 win in the first game on Sunday at the 2014 CCAA Softball Championship Tournament in Stockton, but sixth-ranked Humboldt State rallied for an 8-6 victory in the second game to defeat the Seawolves and capture the CCAA banner.  Sonoma (38-21) will await word on its NCAA postseason fate as the selection show is scheduled for Monday at 7:00 am.  The Lumberjacks (46-14) earn the conference's automatic bid and will most likely host one of two sub-regionals next weekend.

In the first game on Sunday, the Seawolves took a three-run lead in the third inning on a three-run home run by Hayley Condon.  Two more runs came across the plate in the top of the fourth inning on a leadoff solo shot by Amanda Rossetta, then an RBI single by Keeley Ray to score Holly Brown for the 5-0 lead.
 
Meanwhile, Katy Bihl had a no-hitter going until the fourth inning, but the Lumberjack hit with two outs in the inning was left stranded on base.  It wasn't until the sixth inning that Humboldt State was able to get something going, and it would come off of the CCAA Pitcher of the Year, Amanda Llerena, who came on in relief of Bihl in the sixth.  She allowed three runs on two hits, but the three runs came home when the bases were loaded on a walk, hit by pitch and a wild pitch and Bihl came back in to replace Llerena.  Bihl stopped the bleeding and induced an inning-ending groundout, but the 'Jacks got to within two runs at 5-3.
 
In the top of the seventh, the Seawolves padded their lead when Ancia Purdy doubled, then came home to score on a defensive error later in the inning for the 6-3 advantage.  Bihl made quick work of HSU in the bottom of the seventh, retiring all three batters in order to end the game and force the if necessary game seven, the winner-take-all.
 
Bihl (7-5) allowed only two hits in her six and one-thirds innings, walking one and striking out two.  Condon went 2 for 4 with the three-run blast in the third, Purdy also went 2 for 4, but with two runs scored.
 
Humboldt's Katie Obbema dropped to 23-8 on the year after allowing five runs on four hits and one walk.
 
In the winner-take-all title game, the Lumberjacks took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning on a two-run home run by Hannah Williams, who hit the walkoff home run against the Seawolves in the first game on Saturday.
 
The HSU lead didn't last long as Sonoma State rallied for five runs in the top of the third inning, which started with a two-run shot by Megan Konieczka, her 16th of the season.  Rossetta followed with her second solo home run of the day to give SSU the 3-2 lead.  Then, with the bases loaded, Keeley Ray hit an RBI infield single to bring home Brown before Purdy lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Ashley Long for a 5-2 lead.
 
However, Humboldt State would begin to chip away and with two runs in the bottom of the third and another in the bottom of the fourth off of Bihl to knot the game at 5-5.  Then, three runs came home for the Lumberjacks in the fifth to take an 8-5 lead.

The Seawolves threatened in their final at bat in the top of the seventh, but one run -- a sacrifice fly by Konieczka -- wouldn't be enough as Humboldt State held on to win the title with an 8-6 win.

Konieczka went 2 for 4 with three RBI in the second game.  Rossetta and Ray both had two hits apiece as well.  Bihl (7-6) started and went the first four innings, but was replaced by Melissa Smith after giving up the go-ahead runs in the fifth.

For their efforts this weekend, Hayley Condon, Ashley Long, Megan Konieczka and Keeley Ray were named to the 2014 CCAA Softball All-Tournament Team.

Despite Sunday's loss, Sonoma State is expected to qualify for the eight-team NCAA Division II West Regional, it would be the sixth straight NCAA tournament appearance for the Seawolves, and the seventh in the last eight seasons.