Saturday, Feb. 9
vs. Oregon Tech (2-1)
Pioneer Field
12 p.m • 3 p.m. (Doubleheader)
Live Stats

Sunday, Feb. 10 • "Youth Day"
vs. Oregon Tech (2-1)
Pioneer Field
11 a.m.
Live Stats

HAYWARD, Calif. – After opening the season with a series that went about as well as the Pioneers could have hoped, Cal State East Bay baseball is back in action this weekend, hosting Oregon Tech for a three-game set. East Bay (4-0) swept Central Washington over four days, but they've yet to play a doubleheader, a staple of the CCAA schedule. That will change on Saturday, however, as the Pioneers and Owls are scheduled for a nine-inning game at noon, with a seven-inning game immediately to follow. First pitch for Sunday's series finale is set for 11 a.m.

WEEKLY RECAP
The Pioneers are off to their best start since joining Division II, but it almost wasn't so. It took a ninth-inning comeback in last Friday's opener for the team to notch one in the win column. Despite racking up 15 hits and getting an outstanding start from senior Ben O'Bryan, the Pioneers made six errors and needed a run in the eighth and two in the ninth to pull off the 5-4 victory. Andrew Rodriguez led off the season with a home run to left field, and he was one of six Pioneers to get two hits in the game.

Saturday's game was a much smoother win for East Bay. After allowing two runs in the first, the Pitching staff combined for eight shutout innings and 13 strikeouts. Roger Luna had two hits and Rodriguez knocked in three. The Pioneers scored all their runs in the fourth inning and won 5-2 in a shade over two hours.

They kept the momentum going Sunday, as senior starting pitcher Matt Fontaine carved up the Wildcat lineup for seven innings. Eren Miravalles got two hits for the Pioneers, who cruised to a 6-0 shutout win. They proceeded to complete the sweep with another one-sided victory on Sunday. The team rattled off 13 hits – three apiece from Rodriguez and Kyle Zozaya – in the 12-2 win. Zachary Wong tossed 2.2 scoreless innings in relief to pick up his second win of the season.

PITCHING IN
It was a remarkable first performance for the Pioneer pitching staff. O'Bryan set the tone with a zero-walk outing on Friday, and the rest of the team followed with an excellent display of strike throwing. Collectively, the pitchers had an ERA of 1.25 in the series. They allowed 23 hits and 10 walks in 36 innings, while striking out 40.

Most impressively, the Pioneer hurlers allowed just eight total runs in the four games, despite the fact that the team committed 14 errors. And to file under uselessly interesting: all four East Bay starters allowed exactly four hits in their outings.

PERFECT PEN
If the Pioneer starters were good, the relievers were nearly unhittable against CWU. Seven pitchers worked out of the bullpen in the series, and not one of them allowed a run. Wong is already 2-0 on the season, with 4.1 hitless innings under his belt. Senior closer Charlie Sharrer also worked twice in the series, picking up his first save of the season in Saturday's win. Collectively, the bullpen pitched 13.0 scoreless innings, allowing seven hits and three walks, and striking out 12 Wildcat batters.

.400 CLUB
The pitchers weren't the only ones contributing to a 4-0 start. The Pioneer offense averaged 7.0 runs per game against CWU and hit .317 as a group. Four players in particular had hot bats in the series and hit over .400 – Miravalles (.462), Rodriguez (.438), Jordan Wilder (.429), and Zozaya (.400).

Zozaya came into Sunday's game with just one hit in the series, but the senior reached base five times in the finale, including a double and two walks. Miravalles notched six hits and four walks for a team-high .588 on-base percentage in the series. Rodriguez led the team with three extra-base hits, 12 total bases, and three stolen bases, and he and Wilder tied with five RBI each.

PROBABLE STARTERS
O'Bryan will get the nod for East Bay in the first game of the series against Oregon Tech. He allowed three earned runs in 6.2 innings last Friday, striking out nine without a walk in the 5-4 win. Junior Sean Becker is expected to start the back end of Saturday's doubleheader. The righty tossed three hitless innings out of the bullpen on Saturday and will be making his first start for the Pioneers. Sophomore Michael Pope, whom Becker relieved against CWU, is likely to get the call on Sunday after going five scoreless innings in his first start.

OUTLOOK ON THE OWLS
Oregon Tech is 2-1 as of Friday morning, but they play a game against Cal Tech on Feb. 8 before heading to Hayward. The Owls swept Simpson University in a doubleheader to open the season, then lost Thursday afternoon to Vanguard, 6-3. Oregon Tech was 18-33 a year ago and were picked to finish seventh in NAIA West this season. The Owls are led by returner Ryan Hayden, who has already notched a four-hit game this year. The pitching staff features a pair of junior transfers, BJ Wilson and Talon Sisley, both of whom picked up wins in their first starts. This will be the first meeting between the Pioneers and Owls since East Bay joined the CCAA four years ago.

YOUTH DAY
Pioneer Athletics will be hosting a Youth Day on Sunday, Feb. 10 during the baseball and softball games. It's the final event of Homecoming Week 2013. All local youngsters are invited to attend and dress in uniform. Admission is free, and youth players will have a chance to meet the teams and receive Pioneer prizes. Click here for more information.