HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay softball team picked up a big road win to close out Saturday's doubleheader, exploding offensively for a 12-7 victory in game two over 10th-ranked Chico State. 

The Wildcats won the first game 2-1 to split the twinbill and take three out of four from the Pioneers in the series. East Bay is now 7-5 for the season with a 3-5 record in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play.

Saturday's morning game was an outstanding pitcher's dual between Chico's Haley Gilham and CSUEB freshman Abby Greer. The Wildcats got on the board first with an quick run, thanks to a leadoff hit, a stolen base and an RBI single by Ari Marsh.

Chico added another run in the third without hitting the ball out of the infield. Two infield singles sandwiched around another stolen base made it 2-0 after three innings. 

Greer shut the Wildcats down the rest of the way, allowing six hits in a complete game effort. She struck out three and walked just one, but suffered a hard-luck loss to fall to 3-3.

Gilham, who got the win to improve to 5-0, held the Pioneers scoreless through the first six frames. East Bay finally broke through in the seventh when Haley Keahi followed Emily Portesi's two-out double with an opposite field single to cut Chico's lead in half. But the Pioneers stranded the tying run at first base, as Gilham retired Belle Placencia to to end the game.

Game two was an entirely different story as the Pioneers scored early and often, tallying multiple runs in each of the first four innings. They ended up scoring 12 runs on 12 hits and took advantage of three Wildcat errors in the blowout win.

East Bay opened the game with three straight s, and senior Ali Cerminara knocked in the first run with a single through the hole. The Pioneers had a 2-0 after the top of the first, but the Wildcats answered back with four runs in the bottom of the innings, stringing five hits together against CSUEB starter Olivia McWhorter. 

Head coach Claire Sua-Amundson turned to Bailee Glover out of the bullpen, who escaped the inning, then proceeded to hang five straight zeroes on the scoreboard to allow the Pioneer offense to go to work. 

East Bay scored four runs in the second to re-take the lead, as Marisa Lerma and Tanya Galvan both ripped two-run singles. They tacked on three more in the third on an RBI double by Courtney Leyba, followed by a two-run home run by Sarah Fukushima. It was Fukushima's team-leading fifth round-tripper of the year.

After a pair of walks to start off the fourth, Keahi drove in a run with a single up the middle, and then the Pioneers scored again on a double steal. 

The visitors led 12-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh when Chico finally got to Glover for three runs, taking advantage of three walks and a hit-by-pitch. Greer then made her second appearance of the day with two outs and struck out Kristin Worley to end the game. 

Glover struck out four and allowed three runs on just two hits over 6.0 innings of relief to earn her second victory.

Fukushima finished 3-for-5 and scored three runs to lead the way offensively. Leyba had two hits and crossed home plate three times out of the leadoff spot, and senior Ashley Allen also notched multiple hits going 2-for-3.

Next weekend, CSUEB's eight-game road trip continues as the team journeys south for a four-game set at Cal State San Marcos, starting Friday, Mar. 3 at 1:00 p.m.