HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay softball team opened its 2016 home schedule by splitting a doubleheader with Academy of Art on a rainy Friday afternoon. 

The Urban Knights (4-7-1) scored a late run to snag the first game 3-2, but the Pioneer bats bounced back in game two. After falling behind 5-0 in the first, CSUEB (4-4) rallied back for a 14-6 victory on the strength of a 10-run fourth inning.

Game 1 -- Academy of Art 3, CSUEB 2

The Pioneers grabbed an early lead in the first inning of their home opener without even putting the ball in play. Rose Marston led off with a walk, stole second, and scored on back-to-back wild pitches. 

The Urban Knights answered back with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the second, taking advantage of a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt. 

That was all the visitors would manage to do against CSUEB starting pitcher Tatiani Beilstein, who had her best performance of the young season. She tossed six innings, allowed no earned runs, as scattered seven hits along with one walk.

The Pioneers tied the game in the bottom of the fifth when Ali Cerminara drilled her second home run of the season over the left field fence.

The score stayed 2-2 until the seventh inning, when East Bay turned to freshman Bailee Glover in the circle. The rookie struck out the side, but also allowed a solo homer to Elise Oldham, which would prove to be the difference in the game. 

Game 2 -- CSUEB 14, Academy of Art 6

The Pioneers won by the eight-run rule in the second game, despite falling into a big hole in the first inning. Starting pitcher Sierra Clark gave up her first earned runs of the year as the visitors hung five runs on the board.

East Bay got three back in the bottom of the first, as Clark knocked in a run with a single, and Gabby Gonzalez brought home two more with an RBI hit that got away from the centerfielder.

After another Urban Knight runs made it 6-3 in the top of the fourth, the Pioneer bats went to work in the bottom of the frame. East Bay sent 16 batters to the plate, racking up six hits and seven bases on balls to take a 13-6 advantage. Fresman Annissa Gonzalez put an exclamation mark on the inning with her first career home run, a three-run shot to center field. 

The Pioneers walked off with the mercy-rule victory the following inning as the rain started to fall harder and harder in Hayward. Gonzalez led off the inning with a walk, advanced on a fielder's choice and a wild pitch, and scored the 14th CSUEB run when Belle Placencia lined one fair down the left field line. 

Senior Kelsey Cairns picked up her first win of the season in relief, tossing 4.1 innings and allowing just one runs as the Pioneer offense pulled off the comeback. 

East Bay is back in action on Wednesday, Feb. 24, when they host a non-conference doubleheader against Holy Names starting at 12 p.m.