HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay baseball team pulled off a late rally to defeat visiting Holy Names 3-2 in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader at Pioneer Field. The teams split the twinbill after the HNU bats exploded for an 11-3 win over CSUEB in game one.

The two games were almost exact opposites, as the morning showdown featured 26 hits and eights walks. In the nightcap, it took until the sixth inning for both teams to record their second hit.

Uncharacteristically, left-hander Alex Vesia was not very sharp to start the first game. He also didn't get very much help from his defense, which totaled five errors that led to five unearned runs. An infield error allowed the Hawks to take a 1-0 lead in the first, then more defensive miscues prolonged the second inning long enough to allow HNU to score three more times. 

Dallas Dey got the Pioneers on the scoreboard with his first home run, a solo shot over the left field fence in the bottom of the second. However, any thoughts East Bay had of coming back faded away as Holy Names starter Aiden McIntyre settled in and hung five straight zeroes on the board.

The Hawks scored two more unearned runs in the fourth to chase Vesia from the game, who had to throw more than 60 pitches just to get through the second inning. Senior Nick Sergi came out of the bullpen and was a bright sport for the Pioneers, scattering five hits over 3.0 innings of relief without allowing an earned run.

East Bay scored a run each in the eighth and ninth innings on RBI hits by Zack Perugi and Troy Resch, but Holy Names tacked on in the final two frames as well, pulling away for the 11-3 win.

The first game was completed in just under three hours, but it felt much longer. The second game, on the other hand, took close to two hours -- but it felt like the first several innings flew by.

CSUEB right-hander Joel Lamont and Holy Names starter Ricardo Torres were both outstanding in the early going, and neither offense even recorded a hit until the fourth inning. 

The Pioneers drew first blood in the bottom of the fourth with leadoff man Marcus Wise serving as the catalyst. He shot a single to right-center to lead off the frame. He stole second on the first pitch, and advanced all the way to third when the pitch bounced to the backstop. Michael Thomas then lifted a deep sacrifice fly to center to put CSUEB ahead 1-0.

Lamont continued to dominate into the later innings of the scheduled-seven inning game. The Hawks put just one runner on base through the first five frames, but that all changed in the sixth. With one out, Lamont issues back-to-back walks. He got the next guy to fly out, but then cleanup hitter Chris Gnos sliced a two-run double down the left field line. It was just the second hit of the game for HNU, but it gave them a 2-1 lead.

Despite having lost all the momentum, the Pioneers refused to roll over. They answered back in the bottom of the inning, once again thanks to Wise, who chopped a double down the third base line with one out. After a ground out, Thomas came up with the big hit, lacing an opposite field single to tie the game with two outs. Wyatt Foreman then shot a single up the middle to move Thomas around to third, putting him in position to score the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.

Andrew Fernandez came in relief of Lamont and got the last out of the sixth inning. After the Pioneers took the lead back, he allowed a ground ball single to lead off the seventh, and then head coach Mike Cummins turned to left-hander Joey Portugal. Amidst numerous attempts to pick the runner off first base, Portugal notched a strikeout and two fly outs to end the game.

Fernandez picked up the win in relief. The Pioneers, who are now 7-3, have had seven different hurlers earn victories this season. Portugal posted his second save and has not been scored against in 8.0 innings of relief. 
The Pioneers out-hit the Hawks 5-3 in game two, led by Wise with a pair of hits and two runs scored. The senior also stole his ninth base of the season, giving him 61 for his career to extend his program record. Thomas and Gnos were the only players to drive in runs in the game, and the pitchers combined to issue just three walks. 

The four-game series between East Bay and Holy Names concludes on Sunday with another doubleheader scheduled for 11 a.m. at College of Alameda.