Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CHICO, Calif. - The Pioneer women's softball team rallied from a 5-0 deficit, only to lose 6-5 in 10 innings to Chico State in the first game of a CCAA doubleheader on Friday. The Wildcats completed the doubleheader sweep with an 8-4 victory over the Pioneers in the second game.

With the doubleheader setback, the Pioneers are 5-13 in CCAA play and 7-17 for the season. Chico State improves to 11-7 in the CCAA and 13-10 overall.

“We put ourselves in position to win both games today,” Pioneer Head Coach Barbara Pierce said. “We hurt ourselves by stranding runners on base in 14 of the 17 innings.”

In the first game, Chico State opened the scoring with two runs in the bottom of the first. Kelli Keefe walked to lead off the inning and later scored on a fielder's choice. Brynn Lesovsky hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Emily McEnaney with the second run.

Emily Montanez doubled and Lauren Vestal walked in the top of the second, but the Pioneers were unable to get on the scoreboard.

The Wildcats scored three runs on only one hit in the bottom of the second to extend their lead to 5-0.

East Bay got on the scoreboard with a run in the top of the third inning. With one out, Chelsie Kakela was hit by a pitch for the ninth time this season. Sara Holdridge followed with a double to score Kakela. For Holdridge, it was her team-leading 12th RBI.

Chico State looked to increase its lead with two runners on and no outs in the bottom of the third. Andi Andersen relieved Pioneer starting pitcher Lauren Zweigle and retired the next three Wildcat hitters.

The Pioneers got right back in the game in the top of the fifth. Shaunna Purkey reached on an error to open the inning. Taryn Thomas singled, but Purkey was thrown out at third. Nicole Adair had a base hit sending Thomas to second. Thomas and Adair both advanced on a wild pitch. Kakela brought both runners home with a double. Holdridge walked representing the tying run at first. Montanez singled to leftfield scoring Kakela with the third run of the inning as the Pioneers closed the gap to 5-4.

With two outs and no one on in the top of the sixth inning, Thomas doubled to put the tying run at second. Wildcat pitcher Kayla McConnell got Adair to groundout, ending the Pioneers scoring threat.

After Andersen retired the side in order in the bottom of the sixth, the Pioneers tied the game with a run in the top of the seventh. Kakela was safe on an error to open the top of the seventh. Holdridge doubled down the leftfield line to score pinch runner Allison Noble with the tying run. Cheyenne Sandoval (2-1) replaced McConnell and retired the next three Pioneer hitters.

The Wildcats had the winning run at second, but Andersen retired Kayla Barber on a groundout to send the game into extra innings.

In the top of the eighth, East Bay had a runner at second and two outs, but was unable to pull ahead. In the top of the ninth, Holdridge doubled for her third hit of the game. Sandoval proceeded to retire the next two Pioneers hitters stranding Holdridge at second.

The Wildcats won the extra-inning thriller with a run in the bottom of the 10th inning. With two outs and no one on base, Barber singled. Marlee Rettig followed with a base hit. Barber went to second and advanced to third on a Pioneer error. Keeefe singled through the right side scoring Barber with the winning run.

Andersen (1-6) pitched her best game of the season. In 7.2 innings or work, Andersen allowed one run, one eight hits and three strikeouts. “Andi did a nice job,” Pierce said. “She shut them down by allowing only one run in seven innings.”

As a team, the Pioneers pounded out a season-high 12 hits. Holdridge, hitting .328 going into the first game of the doubleheader, was 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBI. Thomas also had three hits in five at bats. Montanez had two hits and a run driven in.       

In the second game, the Wildcats grabbed an early 2-0 advantage in the bottom of the first. Keefe led off the inning with a bunt single and later scored on a base hit by Desiree Gonzalez. A Pioneer error enabled Gonzalez to score the second run of the inning. The Wildcats made it 3-0 in the bottom of the second on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Keefe.

The Pioneers scored their first run of the second game in the top of the third. With one out, Thomas singled. Adair reached on a fielder's choice after Thomas was out at second. Kakela was hit by a pitch for the 10th time in 24 games, advancing Adair to second. Holdridge singled to drive in Adair.

Barber and Rettig each had RBI singles to highlight a four-run, third inning for the Wildcats. “We dug ourselves in too big of a hole against a good Chico State team,” Pierce said.

East Bay cut into the Wildcats' six-run advantage with a run in the top of the fourth. Pacioni reached on an error to open the inning. Meli Sanchez was hit by a pitch putting runners at first and second. Both runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt. Pacioni scored on another Chico State error.

The Wildcats pushed across a run in the bottom of the fourth to take an 8-2 lead. Adair opened the top of the fifth with a single and later scored on a Wildcat error to cut the deficit to 8-3. The Pioneers inched closer with a run in the top as the sixth. Noble singled to open the inning, and later scored on a Holdridge walk.

Holdridge had two RBI and four total in the doubleheader. Thomas was 2-for-4 at the plate, while Adair scored a pair of runs in the second game. Nikki Fonteneaux pitched well in relief allowing one run on four hits in 3.2 innings.    

“We took some big steps in today's doubleheader,” Pierce said. I was pleased we had over 20 hits in the two games. Tomorrow, we have to continue to hit, play better defense and come away with a pair of wins.”

The four-game series will conclude with a Saturday doubleheader in Chico. The first pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.