Game 1 box | Game 2 box

HAYWARD, Calif. – A pair of impressive pitching performances and two clutch homeruns led the Cal State East Bay softball team to a doubleheader sweep of Notre Dame de Namur on Tuesday at Pioneer Softball Field. East Bay topped the Argonauts 9-2 in game one and just edged NDNU, 3-2, in game two. The Pioneers (21-22) got 12 quality innings of work from Kelly Lowe, who earned both wins, a grandslam from Mishka Hamor and a game-winning homer from Jamie Yaller in the sweep.

The Pioneers got on the board early in game one, taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. After Kassandra Winger led off with a double to center, Emily Montanez walked and Taylor Neumann singled to center to load the bases for Sara Holdridge. The designated player worked a one-out walk to bring in the first run of the game before Taylor Neumann's fielder's choice plated Montanez to give East Bay a 2-0 lead.

The Argonauts answered back in the top of the second, getting a leadoff homer from Meggan Craviotto to cut the lead to one. An infield single and a sacrifice bunt put a runner in scoring position for Janae Reyes, who singled down the left field line to bring in the run and tie the game 2-2.

East Bay got going again in the bottom of the second, plating another run to regain a one-run lead. With two outs, Winger blasted a 2-1 pitch over the fence in center field for her fifth homerun of the season. Jamie Yaller and Montanez followed with singles but left fielder Emily Castro gunned down Yaller at home to end the inning.

Pioneer starter Talia Ferrari got into a jam in the top of the third inning, giving up back-to-back singles and a stolen base to put runners on first and third with no outs before East Bay brought in Lowe in relief. After a stolen base put runners on second and third, Lowe got a fly ball to left and help from Breezy Johnson in left to hold the runner at third, and followed with a strikeout and a ground ball to hold the Argonauts scoreless.

The Pioneers loaded the bases again with two outs in the bottom of the third after a Holdridge single and back-to-back walks for Nikki Freiberg and Devon Mercurio. Leading 3-2 and batting with the bases loaded, Hamor smashed a 1-2 pitch over the fence in center for the Pioneers' third grandslam of the season. The homerun was Hamor's first of the season and knocked NDNU starter Mary Ortega from the game while giving East Bay a 7-2 advantage through three innings.

The Pioneers were at it again in the bottom of the fifth, adding a run to take an 8-2 lead. Freiberg doubled down the right field line with one out before Hamor continued her impressive clutch hitting, legging out a two-out infield single to put runners on first and third for Winger. The senior drove in her second run of the game with a single to right before reliever Hillary Ruddick got a groundout to end the inning.

East Bay added another insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, as Neumann doubled to right and Holdridge followed with a single to plate the run and give the Pioneers a 9-2 lead going into the Argonauts' final at-bats. Lowe shut down NDNU in the top of the seventh to finish off the game, getting help from Freiberg who made a spectacular catch on the run in right center to get the last out.

Lowe picked up her seventh win of the season after tossing five shutout innings, allowing just four hits and no walks and striking out seven. Ortega allowed seven runs on seven hits in 2.2 innings to take the loss for NDNU.

Seven of the nine Pioneer starters posted a hit in the game, led by Hamor's 2-for-3 performance with four RBI and Winger's 3-for-4 showing with two runs and two RBI. Holdridge went 2-for-4 at the plate with a run and two RBI, while Freiberg went 1-for-4 with two runs.

Notre Dame took an early lead after the Argonauts took advantage of a pair of hit batters, a double and a wild pitch in the top of the first to gain a 2-0 advantage. East Bay answered with a run in the bottom of the inning to pull within one, 2-1.

After a scoreless top of the second, the Pioneers drew even in their half of the inning. Devin Salmones led off with a walk and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt from Freiberg before Hamor got her third two-out hit of the day to bring in Salmones and tie things up at two.

Lowe continued to shut down the NDNU batters in the top of the third and Yaller put the Pioneers on top in the bottom of the third with a solo homer to right center, her fifth of the year.

The one run lead was enough for Lowe, who settled in and tossed six shutout innings to pick up the complete game victory. Though the Argonauts threatened to score in the top of the seventh, putting runners on second and third, Lowe ended it with her eighth strikeout of the game. The redshirt freshman allowed two runs on four hits and one walk in her fifth complete game of the season and her second victory of the day.

Yaller led the Pioneers at the plate in game two, scoring the game-winning run with her homerun and going 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Montanez joined her with a hot bat, going 2-for-2 with an RBI and a walk.

Yaller, Hamor and Montanez led the way offensively for the Pioneers on Tuesday. Yaller finished 3-for-7 with two runs, an RBI and homerun, while Hamor drove in five and scored one while going 3-for-5 with all of her RBI coming with two outs. Montanez finished 3-for-4 with a run, an RBI and three walks. The sweep gives East Bay four straight wins heading into the final eight games of the season.

Cal State East Bay returns to action this weekend, when it travels to Cal State San Bernardino for four games. The Pioneers and Coyotes are set to open Friday's doubleheader at 1 p.m. at Coyote Park.