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

HAYWARD, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay softball team saw its offense stifled by quality pitching in a pair of losses to Sonoma State, 8-2 and 7-0, on Saturday. The Pioneers (9-11, 3-9 CCAA) scored just two runs and struck out 17 times, giving the Seawolves the series sweep.

Game 1: Sonoma State 8, Cal State East Bay 2
Sonoma State broke the game open early, scoring six runs on six hits and an error in the top of the second inning against East Bay starter Talia Ferrari. Shannon Kehr led off with a homer to left center to start the scoring before a hit batter and a single put two on for Ancia Purdy and Danielle D'Ecliss brought in two runs with back-to-back doubles. An error brought in another run before Kehr singled to drive in her second run of the inning and give the Seawolves a 6-0 lead. East Bay threatened in the bottom half of the second, loading the bases but SSU starter Samantha Lipperd got a pair of strikeouts to get out of the jam.

Cal State East Bay ended the shutout, scoring its first run against Lipperd in the series in the bottom of the third. Taryn Thomas reached on an error before Jamie Yaller walked to put two on for Taylor Neumann, who singled to center to cut the Sonoma lead to five, 6-1, through three innings. Sonoma State tacked on a pair in the top of the fourth, getting a two-run single from Vanessa Currie to take an 8-1 lead. The Pioneers answered back in the bottom of the fourth against reliever Ciara Becerril, taking advantage of a pair of errors to put runners on first and second for Jamie Yaller, who hit a two-out double to center field to drive in Nicole Adair and cut the SSU lead to six, 8-2.

Though East Bay got back-to-back singles from Yaller and Neumann to lead off the bottom of the seventh, Becerril got out of the jam unscathed to pick up the win. Ferrari tossed a complete game but took the loss to drop to 2-3 on the year. Ferrari allowed five earned runs on 10 hits with five strikeouts in seven innings of work. Neumann finished the game 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Yaller was 2-for-3 with the other RBI for East Bay.

Game 2: Sonoma State 7, Cal State East Bay 0
Lipperd and Cal State East Bay starter Kelly Lowe duked it out in game two, both taking shutouts into the sixth inning before Lowe got into trouble in the top of the sixth. D'Ecliss led off with a single up the middle and Currie followed with a walk to put two on with no outs for Skylynn Myers, who planted a 1-0 pitch over the fence in left center to put the Seawolves up 3-0. Two outs later Sonoma State got to Lowe again, as Megan Konieczka went yard to give the Seawolves a 4-0 advantage before Kelly Colker came on to get the final out.

Sonoma State was not done, however, as they tacked on another three runs on five hits in the top of the seventh to take a 7-0 lead into the Pioneers' last at-bats. Heidi McAllister led off the inning and got hit by a pitch to put a runner on. Two outs later, Nicole Adair singled down the left field line to put two on with two out, but the rally fell short as Lipperd caught Thomas looking to end the game and pick up the win.

Lowe took the loss after allowing four runs on seven hits and striking out seven in 5.2 innings of work, while Lipperd posted her eighth win of the season with her second complete game shutout of the weekend, allowing just five hits and striking out 11 in seven innings. The Pioneers were unable to make the most of two walks and an error by the Seawolves, leaving seven runners on base.

Cal State East Bay returns to action on Tuesday, when it takes on Dominican in a non-conference doubleheader. The Pioneers and Penguins are set for a 12 p.m. first pitch at St. Mary's College in Moraga.