Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
Game 1 box | Game 2 box

BRISBANE, Calif. - The Cal State East Bay softball team opened the 2012 campaign with a bang, sweeping Academy of Art in a pair of marathon games on Wednesday at Mission Blue Field in Brisbane. The Pioneers (2-0) scored a combined nine runs in the seventh and eighth innings of the games to post two come-from-behind victories that saw the teams log more than six hours of playing time.

The two teams needed eight innings to settle things in game one, where Academy of Art got out to a 2-0 lead through three innings against East Bay starter Talia Ferrari. The Pioneers answered back in the top of the fifth, scoring three runs to take a 3-2 lead. After Taryn Thomas reached on a hit-by-pitch, junior Jamie Yaller knocked out her first two homers in the game to plate herself and Thomas and tie the game at two. With two outs, Emily Montanez followed with a double to right center and East Bay took advantage of a passed ball on a third strike to put runners on first and third. A wild pitch from ARTU starter Kimberly Dauer brought in pinch runner Nicole Adair to give East Bay its first lead of the game. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Urban Knights got a leadoff homer from Ashley Lokey to tie things back up, 3-3.

A solo homerun from Devin Salmones in the top of the seventh put the Pioneers three outs away from a 4-3 victory, but ARTU played small ball, taking advantage of an error and a sacrifice fly to send the game into the eighth tied 4-4. A leadoff single from Devon Mercurio sparked a two-run top of the eighth for East Bay that saw Yaller hit her second homer of the game, this time plating the game-winnning run for the Pioneers.

Yaller paced the East Bay offense in the opener, going 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs. Salmones added an RBI and a run, while Mercurio finished 2-for-3 with one run scored.

Sophomore pitcher Kelly Lowe picked up the win after coming on in relief and allowing just one unearned run and two hits in four innings of work, striking out seven. Dauer took the loss after giving up five earned runs on nine hits in 7.2 innings with four strikeouts.

The second game of the day looked like a sure victory for the Urban Knights, who took a 5-1 lead into the seventh inning after scoring five runs on six hits against junior Kelly Colker in her first start as a Pioneer. East Bay's lone run came in the top of the second inning when Salmones doubled and eventually scored on an error by the ARTU shortstop.

Down to their last three outs, the Pioneers made the most of their half of the seventh inning, scoring six runs on 10 hits to push past the Urban Knights and secure the victory. With one out, Thomas and Mishka Hamor got the offense going with back-to-back singles. Yaller followed with a triple to bring in two runs and cut the Academy of Art lead to two, 5-3. With Yaller on third, Taylor Neumann hit an RBI single to bring the Pioneers within one, 5-4.

Montanez followed with a single of her own, but Neumann was thrown out at the plate, leaving East Bay with one out remaining and runners on second and third. Designated player Sara Holdridge stepped in and drove the 0-1 pitch down the left field line for a double, plating both Montanez and Salmones to give the Pioneers a 6-5 advantage. After a pitching change for ARTU, senior Breezy Johnson tacked on the insurance run with a single down the right field line to give East Bay the 7-5 lead. Lowe came on for Colker and, despite walking a pair, tossed a shutout inning to pick up the save and hand the Urban Knights the opening day sweep.

Colker earned her first win of her East Bay career, while Yaller continued her monster day with another 2-for-4 performance, adding two RBI and a run. Salmones added another two runs and two hits to her total for the day and Holdridge got things done as the designated player in game two, driving in a pair and scoring one. 

Yaller finished the day 4-for-8 at the plate with six RBI and three runs after going yard twice in the first game. Both Holdridge added a pair of RBI while going 2-for-4 in game two, while Salmones went 3-for-8 with three runs, an RBI and a homerun. Thomas had an impressive debut as a Pioneer with three hits, two runs, two hit-by-pitches, a stolen base and a sacrifice hit.

In the circle, Lowe finished the day with a win and a save, tossing five innings and allowing just one earned run while striking out eight. Colker picked up the other win in her East Bay debut, allowing three earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts in six innings of work.

Cal State East Bay will look to build on today's success this weekend, when it travels to Phoenix, Ariz., for the Grand Canyon Kickoff Classic. The Pioneers are set to open the tournament against the host Antelopes on Saturday at 9 a.m. PT before meeting Western New Mexico at 2 p.m. PT. The teams will meet again on Sunday, when East Bay takes on the Mustangs at 11:30 a.m. PT and GCU at 2 p.m. PT to cap the tournament.