HAYWARD, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay softball team split their opening day doubleheader against the Sonoma State Seawolves at Pioneer Softball Field on Friday, April 14.
 
The Pioneers pick up a 2-0 victory in the opening game before falling 6-4 in the doubleheader finale.
 
Game one of the day was pitchers duel as East Bay freshman pitcher Abby Greer (W, 12-10) tossed her fourth complete game shutout. Greer retired three Seawolf batters while allowing five hits and two walks in only 113 total pitches.
 
The only runs on the game came in the bottom of the opening frame of play. Ashley Allen was walked to lead off the inning and advanced on a groundout by Courtney Leyba. The Sarah Fukushima belted a RBI double to left center field bringing home Allen.
 
Following a Fukushima advance on a wild pitch and a Marisa Lerma walk, senior Ali Cerminara knocked a RBI double to right field scoring Fukushima as the Pioneers ended the inning with a 2-0 lead.
 
East Bay played stout defense the rest of the game to hang on to a 2-0 win. Ashley Allen finished the game with a hit, a run scored and a stolen base. Ali Cerminara added a double and a RBI. Sarah Fukushima hit a double, scored a run and picked up a RBI.
 
The doubleheader finale featured more offense as both squads combined for five home runs.
 
Sarah Fukushima, the CCAA leader in homeruns, added to her conference lead with an opening inning solo blast over the enter field fence. Fukushima now has 13 homers on the season.
 
In the fourth frame, the teams traded solo homers as the Seawolves Alyssa Cuffia tied the game a 1-1 with a shot to center field. Then Ali Cerminara, the Pioneers all-time leader in home runs, notched another homer to her career mark with a solo hammer over the centerfield fence to put East Bay ahead 2-1. Cerminara now has 31 career home runs.
 
Sonoma State responded with back-to-back mutli-run homer runs in the fifth and six innings to take a 6-2 lead.
 
East Bay would then begin to mount a comeback push in the bottom of the sixth frame. After Sarah Fukushima reached on a fielder choice, Ali Cerminara pushed a RBI double to right center field scoring Fukushima to close the Pioneer gap to 6-3.
 
The East Bay made one last move to in its comeback attempt lead by a Jennifer Palmares lead off double to center field in the bottom of the seventh frame. Belle Placencia brought Palmares home with a RBI double to right center. But the Pioneers comeback attempt would be stopped there as they fell 6-4.
 
Ali Cerminara led the Pioneers with two hits, including a double, two RBIs, a run scored and a home run. Sarah Fukushima complied a hit, a RBI, two runs scored and a homer. Jennifer Palmares, Belle Placencia and Ashely Allen all tallied a hit, with Palmares adding a run, Placencia recording a double and Allen stealing a base.
 
Bailee Glover (L, 5-2) led the Pioneers tossing 4.0 innings, allowing only one earned run and walking two batters.
 
The Pioneers and Seawolves will complete their weekend series with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 15 at Pioneer Softball Field scheduled for a 12:00 noon start.