Friday, Feb. 24
vs. Sonoma State (8-3, 1-3 CCAA)
Pioneer Softball Field - Hayward
12 p.m. | 2 p.m.
Live stats
Saturday, Feb. 25
vs. Sonoma State
Pioneer Softball Field -Hayward
12 p.m. | 2 p.m.
Live stats
HAYWARD, Calif. – Following a midweek, non-conference sweep of Domincan, the Cal State East Bay softball team will dive back into CCAA play when it plays host to Sonoma State for a four game series this weekend. The Pioneers (9-7, 3-5 CCAA) are looking to get back on track in league play after suffering a four-game sweep at the hands of Cal State Dominguez Hills last week. East Bay is set to face off with the Seawolves in a pair of doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday, with both scheduled for a 12 p.m. first pitch.
The Pioneers rebounded from four straight losses last weekend with a doubleheader sweep of Dominican on Wednesday, when they came from behind in both victories and picked up their third eight-run rule victory in the finale. East Bay struggled to score against the Toros' strong pitching staff last week, but plated a combined 17 runs in the two games against the Penguins.
Two weeks ago, the Pioneers opened the CCAA season with a 3-1 series win over SF State that included a pair of eight-run rule victories and 10 homeruns. East Bay's team total of 20 homeruns leads the league in homeruns and is almost double the next highest team total. The Pioneers are also third in the conference in runs with 90 and is batting .300 on the year.
Jamie Yaller leads the team with her .400 batting average and is the CCAA's top run-scorer, crossing the plate 18 times already this season. Junior
Sara Holdridge, who has already collected Worth/CCAA Player of the Week honors this year, is getting the job done for the Pioneers in the designated player spot as she is second on the team with 16 RBI, a total that also ties her for fourth in the league. Holdridge is also one of five East Bay starters who is batting over .300 for the season, a list that also includes
Devin Salmones, who leads the team and conference with six homers on the year and also boasts the team's top slugging percentage at .787. Senior catcher
Taylor Neumann has also been key for East Bay, scoring 11 runs and leading the team with 17 RBI.
In the circle, the Pioneers have gotten several quality performances from throughout the staff, including three wins from
Kelly Lowe, who has also struck out 22 batters in 15.2 innings of work.
Lauren Zweigle leads the staff with a 2.66 ERA and has posted a pair of wins this year, along with
Kelly Colker and
Talia Ferrari, the latter of whom has tossed a team-leading 36.1 innings so far.
This weekend East Bay will face another tough test in the Seawolves, who, despite going 1-3 to open their CCAA slate last weekend, have the fifth-best pitching staff and top hitting team in the league. Last season, the Pioneers and Seawolves duked it out in the first conference series of the season, with
Kelly Lowe and Sonoma State ace Samantha Lipperd both throwing no-hitters into the seventh inning of an eventual 1-0 game one loss in 10 innings for East Bay. Though the series ended in a Sonoma State sweep, superb pitching ruled the series as the two teams combined for just 17 runs over four games that included just eight combined hits in the opening doubleheader.
Scouting the Seawolves
Sonoma State comes into the weekend series with an 8-3 overall record and a 1-3 mark in CCAA play following a 3-1 series loss to Cal State Monterey Bay last week. The Seawolves won their first eight games of the season, however, including a 7-2 upset of then-No. 8 Augustana during the Montana State-Billings Desert Stinger Tournament in Las Vegas. Sonoma State boasts the top team batting average in the CCAA, hitting .347 as a team thanks to its eight starters batting over .300, including four who are hitting .400 or better on the year. Top pitcher Samantha Lipperd is tied for second in the CCAA with six wins and is third in strikeouts with 51 in 41 innings of work. Samantha Lepp, Skylynn Myers and Ancia Purdy are all batting .420 or better, led by Lepp's .478 average and .739 slugging percentage. Purdy leads the team with 11 runs, while Myers' 10 RBI are tops on the squad. Last season, the Seawolves picked up a four-game sweep of the Pioneers thanks to two wins from Lipperd. East Bay has yet to pick up a win against Sonoma State in eight tries since joining the CCAA.
What's Next
Following the weekend series, the Pioneers will head to Moraga to meet Dominican for a second midweek doubleheader on Feb. 28. East Bay will continue its six-game road swing next weekend when it heads to Seaside to meet Cal State Monterey Bay on Mar. 2 and 3. The Pioneers then return home in two weeks to host Cal State Stanislaus on Mar. 16 and 17.
