HAYWARD, Calif., -- The Cal State East Bay baseball team opened up California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a 2-2 series split with Cal State L.A. Now the Pioneers will embark on their first conference road trip of the 2018 season with a four game series against Cal State San Bernardino.
 
The opener is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Friday afternoon at Fiscalini Field. The series continues with a doubleheader Saturday and concludes with Sunday's finale, both set for 11:00 a.m.
 
WEEK IN REVIEW
East Bay moved to 5-5 on the season and 2-2 in CCAA play after splitting their series with Cal State L.A.
 
Pioneer starting pitcher Alex Vesia (L, 1-1) (Alpine, Calif.) was excellent in the early innings of the contest. Vesia compiled three strikeouts in the first two scoreless innings, but the Golden Eagles would rally off five runs in the top of the third inning.
 
Despite being down, Vesia would continue his strong outing on the mound as he finished with 7.0 innings tossed with seven strikeouts through 107 total pitches thrown and no walks.
 
The highlight of the day for the Pioneers would come in the bottom of the seventh inning as junior Adam Hollar (Livermore, Calif.) belted a grand slam over the center field wall. For Hollar it was his first home run of the 2018 season. He finished with one hit, a run scored, four RBI and a stolen base.
 
For East Bay, that would be the only runs scored for the outing. Freshman pitcher Mark Woinarowicz (Yorba Linda, Calif.) also had a solid performance through 1.2 innings pitched. Woinarowicz retired two batters, walked another while giving up no runs.
 
Junior Matt Cantelme (Fair Oaks, Calif.) finished the ball game with a hit and on run scored. Junior Paul Bryniarski (Fountain Hills, Ariz.) added one hit and stole a base as well.
 
Junior Kyosuke Ushimaru (Tokyo, Japan) chipped in a hit in his only at bat, while fellow juniors Dakota Conners (Manteca, Calif.) and Nolan Jekich (Boise, Idaho) each scored a run for the Pioneers.
 
In the Saturday doubleheader, The Pioneer bats compiled at least eight hits in both games to improve their overall record to 5-4 with a 2-1 mark in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) action. CSUEB also took a 2-1 advantage over CSULA in their conference opening series.
 
The day went well for East Bay from the the outset. Junior Jacob Nelson (Jefferson, Wisc.) got the start on the mound for the Pioneers and picked up three strikeouts through 4.0 innings pitched.
 
Junior Kyosuke Ushimaru (Tokyo, Japan) had a huge day for the Pioneers as he opened the scoring with a RBI single through the left side to put East Bay ahead 1-0 after the opening inning of action. Ushimaru would not be done as he crushed a solo home run over the center field fence to put CSUEB up for good. He finished with three hits, two RBI and a run scored.
 
The junior duo of Paul Bryniarski (Fountain Hills, Ariz.) and Steve Robinson (Yuba City, Calif.) both turned in multi-hit performances for East Bay. Bryniaski added two hits and two runs while Robinson chipped in two hits, including a double, one run and a RBI.
 
Dallas Dey (Tustin, Calif.), Jacob Eder (Prescott, Ariz.) and Colt Parshall (Oakdale, Calif.) all concluded the opening game with one hit apiece.
 
Senior Andrew Fernandez (W, 1-1) (Castro Valley, Calif.) collected his first win of the season as he closed the game on the mound for East Bay. Fernandez retired two CSULA batters while allowing only one run. Fellow senior Joey Portugal (San Diego, Calif.) pitched 2.2 innings of relief through the middle innings and finished with two strikeouts while allowing no runs.
 
 In the final game of the doubleheader the Pioneers scored runs in the first five innings to secure the the doubleheader sweep. Senior RJ Hanson (W, 2-0) (La Honda, Calif.) put on a strong performance from the mound. Hanson tossed a complete game as he picked up four strikeouts while allowing three runs and only walking one batter.
 
Junior Paul Bryniarksi and Steve Robinson compiled multi-hit performances yet again in the second game of the afternoon. Bryniaski collected two hits, including a double, with a RBI and two runs scored. Robinson finished with two hits and a RBI.
 
Dallas Dey and Colt Parshall both recorded a stolen base and scored a run. Dey also notched two RBI.
 
Junior Adam Hollar (Livermore, Calif.) chipped in two runs while adding a hit. Senior Evan Steele (Clovis, Calif.) tallied a double, with two RBI and a run scored.
 
Junior Matt Cantelme (Fair Oaks, Calif.) recorded a hit, a run scored and one RBI while Kyosuke Ushimaru finished with a double.
 
In the series finale, The Pioneers never led in this game, falling behind 5-1 before rallying back for three runs in the bottom of the eighth. The comeback attempt fell just short, however, as they stranded the tying and go-ahead runs. The Golden Eagles scored just two earned runs in the finale as the Pioneers committed five defensive errors.
 
The game moved quickly through the first three frames as CSUEB senior Jacob Call and CSULA starter Saxon Andross traded zeroes on the scoreboard. The visitors finally got to Call for a run in the fourth, but East Bay answered back as Kyosuke Ushimaru beat out a two-out infield single on a chopper down the third base line, allowing the tying run to score.
 
Call got into trouble again in the fifth, as the Golden Eagles put their first two runners on with a double and a single. LA re-took the lead with a sacrifice fly, and then an error by the Pioneers allowed the bases to re-load, and a second sacrifice fly made it 3-1.
 
The Golden Eagles added an unearned run off Nick Risucci in the sixth and another off Andrew Fernandez in the seventh to stretch their lead out to four.
 
In the bottom of the eighth, CSUEB nearly erased that deficit. A single by Joey Dice and a walk to Paul Bryniarski started the rally, and then Dakota Conners followed a wild pitch with an infield hit to plate a run. A balk made it 5-3, and then a dropped pop-up by Cal State LA allowed Conners to get to third. With two outs, Ushimaru knocked in another run with a single to right-center. But the rally came up just short as Colt Parshall struck out with two on.
 
The Pioneers were unable to bring home the tying run in the ninth as the Golden Eagles escaped with the victory. Call took the loss, allowing two earned runs on seven hits while striking out five in 4.2 innings. Ransome Alexander and Mark Woinarowwicz each tossed a scoreless inning in relief for the Pioneers.
 
The teams finished with eight hits apiece in their series finale. Ushimaru was the only Pioneer with multiple knocks, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. Robinson reached base twice, finishing 1-for-2 with a walk and a run.
 
PIONEER POINTS
Junior Kyosuke Ushimaru (Tokyo, Japan) is third in the CCAA with a .474 batting average with nine hits, six RBI, 13 total bases, two runs scored. He also has a a homerun with a .684 slugging percentage and .524 on-base percentage.
 
Junior Paul Bryniarski (Fountain Hills, Ariz.) has started all 10 games and leads the Pioneers with 10 hits. Bryniarski is batting .341 with 10 runs scored, nine RBI and 20 total bases. He also has a .488 slugging percentage with a double, a triple and one homerun.
 
Returners Dallas Dey (.290 avg, .333 obp, .452 slg), Raymond Jones (.263 avg, .316 obp) and Joey Dice (.300 avg, .556 obp, 7 BB) have been excellent, while newcomers Jacob Eder (.250 avg, .455 obp, 9 R, 8 RBI) and Jordan Estes (.353 avg, .529 slg) have provided some pop in the Pioneer lineup.
 
The pitching staff has a collective ERA of 5.61 through ten games, despite solid strikeout numbers (83 punchouts and 37 walks in 85.0 innings). Senior southpaw Alex Vesia is 1-1 with 13 strikeouts through 14 innings tossed. RJ Hanson has a 3.86 ERA with a team best 16 strikeouts with two wins. Jacob Call on second on the squad with 15 strikeouts and has yet to give up a homer this season.
 
 SCOUTING CAL STATE SAN BERNARDINO
The Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes are currently 2-8 on the season with a 2-2 mark in CCAA action after splitting their road series with Cal State Monterey Bay. Erick Allegro leads the Coyotes with a .387 batting average with 12 hits, three runs scored and two RBI. Will Mentzer is tops in the San Bernardino rotation with a 1.80 ERA with three strikeouts through five innings pitched.