Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Pioneer women's softball team made it three straight wins following a doubleheader sweep over Dominican University at home on Sunday. Cal State East Bay (11-17) won the first game by a score of 2-1. They scored four in the first inning of the second game, eventually completing the sweep with an 8-5 victory.
Game 1 -- CSUEB 2, Dominican 1
In the opener, the Pioneers trailed early, but tied the score with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Marisa Lerma led off the inning with her seventh double of the season. With two outs, Kelsey LaVaute laid down a perfect bunt to score pinch-runner
Mandy Dale with the tying run.
The Penguins loaded the bases with two outs in the next inning, but were unable to push across the go-ahead run. East Bay then walked off with the victory after scoring in the bottom of the seventh. Ali Cerminara singled to open the inning, and Marisa Lerma followed with a bunt single to advance pinch-runner
Shaunna Purkey to second.
Chelsie Kakela walked to load the bases, and then Alex Vela hit a 1-1 pitch for a single to drive in Purkey with the winning run.
Pioneer hurler Emily Perlich improved to 4-10 for the season and hurled her 10th complete game of the season. Perlich, who didn't allow a hit until the fourth inning, scattered five hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Lerma and
Lauren Vestal each had two hits.
Game 2 -- CSUEB 8, Dominican 5
East Bay grabbed an early lead in the second game. A three-run home run off the bat of Kakela gave the Pioneers a 4-0 advantage. It was her team-leading sixth home run of the season.
Dale laced a run-scoring triple in the second, and then LaVaute hit a two-run homer in the third as the Pioneers extended their lead to 8-1 after three frames.
Dominican (11-16) made things interesting with a run in the fourth and three more runs in the sixth to narrow the margin. In the top of the seventh, the Penguins had two runners on base with no outs.
Kelsey Cairns (3-5), who pitched the first four innings for the Pioneers, returned to the circle and retired the next three hitters in order to preserve the victory. Cairns gave up two runs on four hits with three strikeouts and two walks in five innings of work.
The Pioneers will continue CCAA play with a four-game series at Cal State Dominguez Hills on March 28-29. Following that, East Bay will compete at the Cal State Stanislaus Tournament of Champions on April 4-6.
East Bay Athletics Twitter:
https://twitter.com/CSUEBathletics
East Bay Softball Twitter:
https://twitter.com/CSUEBsoftball
East Bay Athletics Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/CSUEBathletics
East Bay Athletics Instagram:
http://instagram.com/csuebathletics