HAYWARD, Calif. – Cal State East Bay softball bounced back with convincing 12-4 and 5-1 wins over Cal State Dominguez Hills to split the weekend series at Pioneer Field. The Pioneers hit seven home runs in total including back-to-back homers twice in the same inning during Saturday's opener.

Overlooked in Friday's 6-1 game two loss was the NCAA Division II record set by Cal State East Bay's defense. The Pioneers became the first DII team and second in the history of collegiate softball to turn five double plays in a single game.

Cal St. East Bay 12, Cal St. Dom. Hills 4 – F/5 (Game 1)
East Bay pitcher Sierra Clark issued five walks in five innings with two coming in the first inning. She exited the circle preserving a scoreless frame after forcing a routine 6-4-3 ground ball inning ending double play. She would use another double play the following inning to make it seven double plays over nine innings.

Cal State East Bay managed to plate only one run in two games against Cal State Dominguez Hills (21-21, 14-14 CCAA) on Friday. The Pioneers scored 17 on Saturday and matched yesterday's total within the opening inning.

Back-to-back two-out first inning hits with Rose Marston's single and Cerminara's triple put the Pioneers out front. The offensive onslaught was just getting started as Cal State East Bay scored in all four innings before run-ruling the Toros.

CSUEB added two more runs in the second inning with freshman Eliana Mello collecting her first collegiate run batted in. She finished the game 3-for-3 with three RBI after plating two more runs on a fourth inning triple.

Cal State East Bay finished with season-highs in runs scored (12), base hits (15), homers in a single inning (4), and runs scored in a single inning (8) after the bottom of the fourth inning. The Pioneers connected for seven hits including back-to-back blasts from Jaynie MacDonald and Marston early in the inning, followed by Kelsey LaVaute and Gabby Gonzalez later in the inning.

MacDonald and Gonzalez each went 2-for-2 with a single and homer in the fourth inning. The Pioneers sent 11 batters to the plate and entered the fifth inning with a 12-0 cushion and three outs away from victory.

The East Bay hurler held the Toros to only one hit through the first four frames, and Jasmine Ruiz was thrown out attempting to stretch a single into a double with one out in the fifth. However the next three batters walked and forced Clark to throw 23 pitches over those plate appearances.

Carly Mitchell's two-run single denied Clark of her shutout bid. An East Bay error and Analisa Nicholson RBI base hit closed the gap to eight and in need of one more run to extend the game.

Clark recorded the last out and threw more than one-third of her 91 pitches in the game in the top of the fifth. She improved her record to 11-9 after giving up four runs (two earned) on four hits and five walks.

CSUDH pitcher Jaime Duran, who tossed a 3-hit shutout in Friday's opener, lasted just 1.1 innings and gave up three runs on five hits in the loss. Alicia Paiz came on in relief and gave up nine runs on 10 hits.

Cal St. East Bay 5, Cal St. Dom. Hills 1 – F (Game 2)
Starting pitcher Emily Perlich put the Pioneers in position to win after tossing 4.1 innings of three hit, one run softball. Cortinas led off the game with a double and later scored to provide the only Toro run in the series finale.

Cal State Dominguez Hills trailed 5-1 entering the sixth but loaded the bases following a single, error, and walk. Clark, who entered in the fifth inning, retired the next three batters in order to escape a no out, bases loaded jam untouched.

The Toros again loaded the bases in the seventh inning and brought the game-tying run to the plate with one out. Fittingly Clark forced Nicholson into a game ending line out double play to salvage a split for the series.

Cerminara finished 3-for-3 with two RBI and was a triple shy of the cycle. Her first inning double tied the game and third inning homer gave the Pioneers a 3-1 lead.

Gonzalez gave East Bay breathing room with a two-run shot over the wall in left field to push the Pioneer lead to four. Lauren Vestal scored after drawing her team leading 24th walk of the season and drove in the eventual game-winning run in the second inning.

CSUDH starting pitcher Alyssa Valinches went the distance and surrendered five runs on seven hits and three walks. She struck out three batters while throwing 110 pitches in the loss.

Cal State East Bay (23-20, 11-17 CCAA) will host UC San Diego (22-20, 12-16 CCAA) in a weekend series starting on Friday, April 17.