HAYWARD, Calif. – The Pioneer women's softball team will conclude the 2013 season with a four-game road series against San Francisco State on April 26-27. The four-game series will begin on Friday with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader on the campus of San Francisco State. A 12:00 p.m. doubleheader on April 27 will finish off the regular season for both the Pioneers and the Gators.

PIONEER PREVIEW
The Pioneers (15-33, 9-23 CCAA) are coming off a doubleheader spilt against Notre Dame de Namur on April 23. East Bay rallied with four runs in the bottom of sixth inning in the second game to defeat the Argonauts, 6-4. Sara Holdridge, with a .350 batting average, leads the Pioneers in hitting. She's batting .344 over her last 10 games and also tops the Pioneers with 12 doubles, three home runs, and 25 RBI. In the CCAA, Holdridge is 17th in hitting with a .340 average and tied for 18th with 17 RBIs.

Taryn Thomas is hitting .340 for the season with a team-high 55 hits.  Thomas has hit safely in 38 of 46 games. Meli Sanchez, batting .406 in her last 10 games, is hitting .320 in CCAA play. Chelsie Kakela has a .393 average in her last 10 games with five doubles, one home run, and six RBI.

Pitcher Lauren Zweigle is 11-17 with a 2.88 ERA in her senior season. In her last eight outings, Zweigle has a 1.49 ERA and four complete games. She currently ranks second in the CCAA with 93 strikeouts.

“Our goal is to finish strong on the road this weekend,” Pioneer Head Coach Barbara Pierce said. “We're going into our final series with good momentum, and I'm excited about our chances against another tough CCAA opponent in San Francisco State.”    

ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO STATE
The Gators are tied for seventh place in the CCAA with a 12-20 record, and they've posted an overall record of 20-28. SF State took three out of four games from Cal State San Bernardino last weekend. Ashley Huff tops the Gator hitters with a .292 batting average and 40 hits on the season. Courtney Gravel is close behind Huff with a .289 average. Kylie Grabowski has driven in a team-high 20 runs. San Francisco State is led in the circle by Marisa Ibarra (14-11), who recorded her 100th strikeout against Cal State San Bernardino last weekend. Ibarra also has an impressive 1.78 ERA, third-best among all CCAA pitchers.