CHICO, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay softball team fought hard Saturday but came up a bit short in both ends of its doubleheader on the road at No. 8 ranked Chico State, falling to the Wildcats by final scores of 4-2 and 4-1. 

The Pioneer return home from their four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) series winless, while Chico remains undefeated through 17 games this season. CSUEB is now 8-10 overall with a 4-8 mark in conference games. 

The first game of the day matched up Wildcat ace Haley Gilham with Pioneer sophomore Abby Greer for the second time in the series. Friday's game went scoreless into the eighth inning, and Saturday's sequel was a strong pitcher's duel as well. It was 0-0 in the bottom of the fourth when Chico finally grabbed the lead. A walk and an error got things started, then a pair of two-out hits made it 3-0 in favor of the home team.

After the Wildcats added another run in the fifth off reliever Taylor Lara, the Pioneers finally threatened in the last two innings. They loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth, but a 1-2-3 double play killed the rally. 

In the seventh, Desiree Jimmy and Jennifer Palmares singled off Gilham, sandwiched around a walk to Belle Placencia, to load the bases again. With two outs, Maddie Ramirez drew a walk to plate East Bay's first run. Sarah Fukushima was then hit by a pitch to bring home another one. That made the score 4-2 with the tying runs on base, but Gilham struck out Bailee Glover to end it.

Ramirez reached base three times in game one, going 2-for-3. 

For the second straight day, the second game of the afternoon featured scoring in the early innings. The Pioneers struck first in the top of the first against Naomi Monahan, as Palamres doubled to the opposite field to lead things off, advanced on Kassie Kochan's bunt, and scored the game's first run on a single by Ramirez. The Pioneer freshman knocked in two of CSUEB's three runs for the day.

But the Wildcats answered back with two runs off four hits against Glover in the bottom of the frame. In the second, Chico staged a two-out rally after Wnedy Cardinali walked and took second on a wild pitch. Back-to-back singles doubled Chico's lead and prompted head coach Claire Sua-Amundson to go to the bullpen.

Olivia McWhorter came in and was very effective for the remainder of the contest, allowing three hits in 4.1 scoreless innings. But the damage was done, and the Pioneers were once again unable to erase their deficit against an outstanding Wildcat pitching staff. East Bay put two runners on base in both the fifth and seventh innings, but couldn't come up with a two-out hit to push them across. 

The Pioneers finished with six hits in the second game, led by Jimmy and Palmares who both went 2-for-3. 

Next up, East Bay will look to get back in the win column when they return home to continue their CCAA schedule next weekend with a four-game series against Cal State Dominguez Hills.