Game 1 box | Game 2 box

HAYWARD, Calif. - A come-from-behind victory in game two gave the Cal State East Bay softball team a doubleheader split with Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday at Pioneer Softball Field. The Pioneers (17-20, 11-15 CCAA) went ahead in the fifth inning and held on for the 3-1 victory in game two after falling to the Toros (22-17, 12-10) 9-1 in five innings in game one.

After playing two scoreless innings in game two, back-to-back doubles with two outs in the top of the third gave Dominguez Hills an early 1-0 lead. East Bay starter Talia Ferrari settled in, however, getting the last out and sitting down the Toros in the top of the fourth.

Trailing 1-0, the Pioneers got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Toros brought Harper on to relieve starter Karen Petersen. Unfazed, Ferrari led off the inning with a single to center before stealing second. A double down the left field line by Breezy Johnson brought Ferrari home and tied things up 1-1.

After a scoreless top of the fifth for Ferrari, the Pioneers broke up the tie, scoring two in the bottom half of the inning. After Jamie Yaller led off with a single to right, Emily Montanez nearly put one over the fence in center field, ending up with a double to put runners on second and third for Sara Holdridge. She followed with another hit off the fence in center, bringing around both Yaller and Montanez to put East Bay up 3-1 through five innings.

The Toros threatened to make things interesting in the top of the sixth inning, after getting runners on first and third with no outs. Ferrari stepped up, however, getting a strikeout, a popup and a fly ball to end the inning and keep Dominguez Hills off the board.

Cal State Dominguez Hills got Ferrari in a jam again in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with no outs before the junior hurler got the last three batters to end the game and give East Bay the Friday split. Ferrari picked up her team-leading eighth win of the season, while Harper took the loss to finish the day with a split. Ferrari allowed just one run on nine hits while striking out three in the victory.

Holdridge led the Pioneers, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, while Johnson went 2-for-2 with an RBI. Ferrari, Yaller and Montanez each plated a run for East Bay in game two.

Game one saw the Toros get out to a fast start and never look back. Cal State Dominguez Hills put together a five-run top of the first, getting a two-RBI double, an RBI single and a two-run homer to knock starter Kelly Lowe from the game and take a 5-0 lead into the bottom half of the inning.

The Toros continued to find success at the plate, as they posted another three runs in the top of the second inning. After starting the inning off with a double and a walk, CSUDH moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt to put runners on second and third with no outs. Krista Gould singled through the right side to clear the bases and put the Toros up 7-0. An error by pitcher Ferrari brought Gould around to give Dominguez Hills the early 8-0 advantage.

Though the Pioneers managed to put three runners on in the first two innings, Toro starter Lauren Harper took advantage of the early lead, shutting down the East Bay offense and allowing just two hits in the first four innings. Harper got a little more insurance with another Dominguez run in the top of the fourth and took a 9-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth.

Facing an eight-run rule loss, the Pioneers finally put things together in the bottom of the fifth but it was too little, too late for East Bay. With two outs, Kassandra Winger sent a 1-2 pitch from Harper over the fence in left field to cut the Dominguez Hills lead to eight, 9-1. Yaller followed with a triple down the right field line before Harper ended the threat and the game with a groundout.

Harper got the win, tossing all five innings and allowing just one run on four hits while striking out five. Lowe took the loss for East Bay, dropping to 5-6 on the season after allowing five runs on four hits in just two thirds of an inning of work. Heidi McAllister was effective in relief, allowing just one earned run and two hits in three innings of work.

Winger finished the game 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI to lead the Pioneers. Devon Mercurio and Yaller accounted for East Bay's only other hits in the loss.

The Pioneers and Toros will return to action with another doubleheader to finish the series tomorrow at 11 a.m. Saturday's game marks the softball team's second annual Support the Troops Day and fans are encouraged to bring items for donation to ship to our troops overseas. More information on Support the Troops Day is available here.