HAYWARD, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay baseball team closed out their weekend series against ART U with a Saturday home doubleheader sweep at Pioneer Field. With the wins, East Bay took the series 3-1 over the Urban Knights.
The Pioneers improved to 3-1 on the season with an 11-4 win in the opening game and a 7-4 victory in the second contest.
In the opening game,
Kris Bartlett,
Wyatt Foreman and
Pablo Artero each compiled three hits apiece, while scoring four runs and garnering four RBIs combined.
The duo of
Joey Dice and
Michael Thomas combined for four hits, three runs scored, five RBIs and two doubles.
As a team, East Bay stole five bases including two by Bartlett.
The Urban Knights battle back in the fourth inning with a grand slam but the Pioneer remained resilient as they scored runs in every inning except two.
Freshman
Joey Portugal picked up the win after tossing four innings, giving up on only one hit and struck out two Urban Knights.
Junior pitcher
Nick Risucci led East Bay with four strikeouts through four innings of action.
In the second matchup of the day, The Pioneers jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings of play.
Seven different East Bay players recorded a hit and six different Pioneers scored a run.
East Bay was led by two hits apiece from
Marcus Wise and
Zack Perugi. Wise, Perugi and
Joey Dice tallied six RBIs combined.
The Pioneers notched a season best six stolen bases with Wise compiling three steals for himself.
ART U would fight their way back into the game with three runs scored in the top of the fourth inning and another in the top of the sixth but the Pioneers closed the sixth inning ny scoring two runs to claim a 7-4 victory.
Nick Sergi recorded his first win of the season leading the Pioneers with three strikeouts through two innings pitched.
Senior
Andrew Fernandez collected his first save of the 2017 season with one strikeout and great play in the closing innings of action.
Joel Lamont retired two Urban Knight batters in route to tossing 3.2 innings.
This is the Pioneers sixth consecutive year with a 3-1 or better start to the season and the third straight year with a season opening series win over ART U.
East Bay will continue their home slate when they host the visiting Central Washington Wildcats in back-to-back doubleheaders on Friday, February 10 and Saturday, February 11. Both doubleheaders are set to begin at 11 a.m. at Pioneer Field.
