HAYWARD, Calif. -– The Pioneer women's softball team will play a four-game series at Cal State Stanislaus this week, beginning on April 19 with a doubleheader in Turlock at 1 p.m. The series will conclude on April 20 with a 12 p.m. doubleheader at Warrior Field.

COMING OFF A GOOD WEEKEND
The Pioneers played well over the weekend against Cal State Dominguez Hills, who were fresh off winning the Stanislaus Tournament of Champions. East Bay posted a 4-3 extra-inning walk-off win on Senior Day and also lost a pair of tight games, 1-0 and 5-3. The Toros took three out of four games in the series.

Meli Sanchez led the way for the Pioneers, hitting .429 with Saturday's game-winning single. Chelsie Kakela and Shaunna Purkey each hit .300 in the four-game series. Lauren Zweigle pitched well, going 1-1 with a 1.68 ERA and 10 strikeouts. Zweigle held the Toros scoreless in 15 of the 17 innings she pitched. The Pioneers will be seeking to continue their good play against Cal State Stanislaus this weekend.

“Our focus is to play East Bay Softball,” Pioneer Head Coach Barbara Pierce said. “If we play the way we are capable, we will win. In order to win, we need to combine a strong offensive performance with solid pitching and consistent defense. Our goal is to play good, all-around softball, and we will be happy with the result.”

PIONEER PREVIEW
The Pioneers stand in ninth place in the CCAA with an 8-20 record. East Bay is 13-29 for the season. Taryn Thomas continues to lead the Pioneers in hitting with a .348 batting average. Thomas has hit safely in 33 of 40 games and is batting .348 in conference play. Sara Holdridge, batting .342 for the season and .321 in CCAA play, tops the Pioneers in six offensive categories: doubles (10), home runs (3), RBI (22), walks (16), slugging percentage (.500) and on-base percentage (.441).

Sanchez is now hitting .307 in CCAA play. Shaunna Purkey, who hit .500 in the Tournament of Champions, has a team-high 13 stolen bases.  Zweigle is 9-14 with a 3.14 ERA and 115 strikeouts in 149.1 innings. She is second in the CCAA with 82 strikeouts in conference games.
 
ABOUT CAL STATE STANISLAUS
Cal State Stanislaus is 10th in the CCAA with a 6-22 record. The Warriors have an overall record of 13-31 and are currently on a 10-game losing streak. As a team, the Warriors have 85 stolen bases in 44 games. Lauren Liming leads the Warriors in hitting with a .354 batting average. Sarah Locarnini follows Liming with a .347 batting average and a team-high 42 hits. Cierrah Mullins tops the Warriors with five home runs and 27 RBI, while Brittani Weatherford is second overall in the CCAA with 27 stolen bases.

“Stanislaus is capable of beating very good teams,” Pierce said.  “We need to bring our best and play East Bay softball to get the result we want.”

UPCOMING GAMES
The Pioneers will host Notre Dame de Namur in a makeup game on April 23. They'll resume CCAA action and conclude the regular season with a four-game series at San Francisco State beginning on April 26.