BRISBANE, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay softball team suffered its first two defeats of the season on Wednesday in non-conference action, as Academy of Art swept a doubleheader over the Pioneers at Mission Blue Field by scores of 5-2 and 5-4.

The afternoon had a promising start as the Pioneers grabbed a 1-0 lead in game one. Jennifer Palmares reached on an error to lead off the game, advanced on Bailee Aguigui's bunt, and scored on Sarah Fukushima's RBI single. 

But the Urban Knights answered back quickly, taking advantage of two walks to plate a pair of runs against Pioneer starter Bailee Glover. Two more walks and back-to-back singles in the second inning resulted in two more runs for Academy of Art.

East Bay capitalized on another defensive miscue in the third, as Fukushima reached on an outfield error with two outs. Glover and Rachel Tadlock followed by two straight hits to score CSUEB's second run.

Unfortunately that was all the Pioneers could muster against Brooke Larsen, who finished off the complete game victory for the Urban Knights. East Bay left a runner on third in the fourth inning, but didn't get anyone in scoring position in the final three frames.

Newcomer Taylor Lara impressed in her Pioneer debut, allowing no earned runs in four innings of relief. The junior struck out one and did not walk a batter.

The second game seemed promising at the outset as well, but once again proved a frustrating endeavor for the CSUEB offense. The Pioneers quickly grabbed a lead in the top of the first. They loaded the bases on a single by Palmares and walks to Courtney Leyba and Fukushima. A single to left field by Glover and a sacrifice fly to right by Tadlock made it 2-0 before Academy of Art came to bat.

Sophomore Olivia McWhorter was effective in the circle early, holding the Urban Knights scoreless through the first four innings. East Bay tacked on a run thanks to two errors by the home team in the third, then made it 4-0 in the top of the fifth when Glover knocked in Leyba with a double in the left-center gap.

The Urban Knights finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the frame with one run on a pair of two-out hits before McWhorter could escape the inning.

After retiring the leadoff batter in the sixth, McWhorter allowed three hits and a walk. That prompted head coach Claire Sua-Amundson to call in Lara from the bullpen leading 4-2 with the bases loaded. But another single and a sacrifice fly tied the score at 4-4 before the Pioneers could get out of the sixth.

After East Bay failed to score in the top of the seventh, Academy of Art got its first two runners on base with singles. A sacrifice bunt moved them both up, and then a bunt hit by Dom Seva'aetasi brought home the winning run.

The Pioneers finished with just four hits in the second game. Glover was the only Pioneer in both contests to notch multiple hits, going 2-for-3 in game one and 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI in game two.

Just a week into the season, CSUEB now takes its 2-2 record into the start of California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play. The Pioneers host defending champion Cal State Monterey Bay, which opened the season ranked No. 15 in the nation, for a four-gam series Friday and Saturday.