HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay baseball team opened the 2018 season on a high note Friday, defeating the University of British Columbia on a gorgeous afternoon at Pioneer Field by a final score of 7-1.

After trailing early in the game, the Pioneers hung four runs on the scoreboard in the sixth inning to take the lead and tacked on two more in the eighth to seal the win. Dallas Dey led the way with a monster performance at the dish, going 3-for-5 with three RBI.

Alex Vesia, Mark Woinarowicz, and Andrew Fernandez combined to hold the Thunderbirds to just two hits in the game, while the Pioneers tallied eight as a team.

Vesia earned the victory after striking out four in 6.0 innings of work. A leadoff walk followed by a stolen base and a single gave UBC a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. But the senior southpaw escaped that inning without further damage and was brilliant for the next five frames, allowing the Pioneer bats to get going in the middle innings.

Woinarowicz allowed one hit and one walk over two scoreless innings in his Pioneer debut, and Fernandez needed just 13 pitches to close the door in the ninth.

After being held off the scoreboard for four innings, East Bay finally got something going in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs and nobody on, Adam Hollar and Dey both singled. Raymond Jones was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and then Dakota Conners drew a four-pitch walk to knock in the first Pioneer run of the season.

The next inning, CSUEB didn't wait around until two outs. Jacob Eder chopped a grounder through the infield to lead off the sixth, then moved up to second on Colt Parshall's sacrifice bunt. Joey Dice pulled a single through the hole to bring Eder home and give the Pioneers the lead. Then with two outs, an overthrow by the catcher on a stolen base by Hollar doubled the lead. Dey followed with a double to the left-center gap, and Jones sliced an opposite field single. By the time the dust settled in the sixth, it was 5-1.

In the eighth, Paul Bryniarski was hit by a pitch with one out. Two batters later, Dey blasted a two-run homer into the trees beyond left field, the first round-tripper of the season for the Pioneers. The senior catcher finished the day with two runs scored, three RBI, and seven total bases.

Jones also notched a multi-hit day in his first game back after missing the entire 2017 season due to a severe facial injury sustained during a collision in the outfield. The senior went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. 

Vesia's victory was the 17th of his four-year career, moving him into a tie with Pioneer Hall of Famer Tony Rubino for fourth place in program history. He also ranks fourth all-time in strikeouts (171) and innings pitched (241.0).

The four-game series between East Bay and UBC continues on Saturday with a doubleheader at Pioneer Field, starting at 11:00 a.m.