HAYWARD, Calif., -- The Cal State East Bay softball team will return to California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) action with a quick trek to Rohnert Park for a four game road series against the Sonoma State Seawolves at Seawolf Softball Field.

The Pioneers are currently sitting 13-22 on the season and 7-17 after going 2-3 with one game cancelled in the 17th annual Tournament of the Champions hosted by Stanislaus State.

WEEK IN REVIEW
The Cal State East Bay softball team got off to a great start Friday at the 2018 Tournament of Champions, posting non-conference victories over Notre Dame de Namur, 4-0, and Holy Names, 11-2.

Sophomore Abby Greer was brilliant in the first game, allowing just three hits in 6.0 scoreless innings to earn her fifth win of the season.

The Pioneers got all the runs they would need against the Argonauts in the bottom of the second, hanging five on the scoreboard. A single by Jocelyn Baldon and walks to Bailee Aguigui and Jennifer Palmares loaded the bases, and then a three-run triple by Courtney Leyba into the right-center gap unloaded them. East Bts tacked on another run on a Maddie Ramirez sac fly to make it 4-0.

Taylor Lara worked the seventh inning for the Pioneers, pitching a scoreless frame.

In game two against the Hawks, Bailee Glover tossed the first three innings scoreless to match Greer with her fifth win, and then Olivia McWhorter pitched the final two innings,

The Pioneers racked up 15 hits against the Hawks, tallying three runs in the first inning, five more in the second, and three more in the fourth to secure the victory by the eight-run rule. Four Pioneers had multiple hits, led by Leyba (4-for-4, two doubles, two runs), and Palmares (3-for-4, two runs).

Leyba finished off a monster performance in the doubleheader to close the opening day of the tournament, going 6-for-7 with seven RBI.

The Cal State East bay softball team fell victim to a late rally by Hawaii Hilo, losing 6-5 to the Vulcans in CSUEB's only game of a rainy Saturday at the annual Tournament of Champions.

The Pioneers were two scoreless innings into their scheduled game against Azusa Pacific early in the afternoon when a lightning delay suspended play. Before they could resume, a downpour hit. The time required to work on the fields required a schedule change, and several games were cancelled. APU was scheduled to travel home, so the game was scrapped and the two innings washed out.

East Bay was back on the field to take on Hawaii Hilo at 5:45 p.m. in a game that was originally scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

The momentum was all in the CSUEB dugout early in the contest, as the Pioneers jumped out to a quick lead. Sarah Fukushima knocked in Jennifer Palmares with a double in the left-center gap to make it 1-0 in the first, and then a single by Desiree Jimmy and a double by Belle Placencia doubled the East Bay lead in the second.

Abby Greer was excellent in the circle to start the contest, tossing four straight scoreless frames. Leading 2-0 in the fifth, she finally got into some trouble. Two walks and an infield single loaded the bases, then a double down the left field line tied the game. Two batters later, another infield hit brought home the go-ahead run for the Vulcans.

But the Pioneers answered back with a three-run rally of their own in the sixth. Jimmy singled to lead things off, and then with two outs, hits by Bailee Aguigui, Palmares, and Maddie Ramirez gave CSUEB the lead back at 5-3.

Unfortunately, the advantage was short-lived as the Hilo bats remained hot. A single and a double to start the inning quickly cut East Bay's lead to one. Then with two outs, a walk followed by a two-run double put the Vulcans back ahead.

The Pioneers didn't have another rally in them, as they were retired in order in the seventh. They tallied 10 hits in the game, with Fukushima, Jimmy, Placencia, and Aguigui notching two each. Greer's record drops top 5-1 with the loss.

In CSUEB's contest against Hawaii Pacific neither team put runs on the scoreboard until the fifth inning of action. The Sharks exploded with three runs in the top of the inning as the Pioneers would only score one run. Hawaii Pacific would add two more runs in the top of the sixth inning to claim a, 5-1 victory over East Bay.

Despite the low run total, it was not for lack of offense from the Pioneers as East Bay had a trio of student-athlete register multi-hit performances. Sophomore Jennifer Palmares (Elk Grove, Calif.) and the junior duo of Courtney Leyba (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Bailee Glover (Reno, Nev.) all finished with two hits apiece. Palmares stole a base and added CSUEB's only score of the game.

Sophomore Sarah Fukushima (Sacramento, Calif.) and junior Belle Placencia (Apple Valley, Calif.) each finished with one hit each. Freshman Maddie Ramirez (Chino Hills, Calif.) supplied the Pioneers lone RBI of the outing.

Bailee Glover (L, 5-3) got the start in the circle for East Bay and struck out three Sharks through five innings while only walking one batter. Junior Taylor Lara (La Puente, Calif.) tossed the final two innings of the game and logged a strikeout and one walk.

Cal State East Bay's final game of the tournament featured a pitching duel between sophomore Olivia McWhorter (L, 2-6) (Cypress, Calif.) and Western Washington's Kira Doan (W, 1-1). Neither hurler gave up more then four hits and McWhorter led the game with three strikeouts.

The game deciding run came in the top of the seventh inning as the Vikings doubled to right center and scored the only run of the ballgame. Freshman Desiree Jimmy (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Courtney Leyba compiled CSUEB's only hits of the game.

PIONEER POINTS
Offensively, sophomore Jennifer Palmares is leads the Pioneers with a .328 average, .397 on-base percentage, 24 runs scored and leads the CCAA with 14 doubles. Fellow sophomore Sarah Fukushima (.307 avg, 18 RBI, 10 extra base hits) has been a a consistent bat for the Pioneers as she is tied for the team lead with one home run. Junior Courtney Leyba is also off to a productive start with a .318 average, 21 runs, 22 RBI, and 10 extra base hits including a conference leading four triples.

Leyba is the current CSUEB Female Player of the Week after she had a huge week in Turlock to earn a spot on the All-Tournament of Champions Team. She had a career day in Friday's doubleheader, going 6-for-7 with a double, triple, five RBI, three runs, and two stolen bases as the Pioneers defeated NDNU and Holy Names. She was also solid in Sunday's doubleheader, leading the team with three hits. For the weekend, Leyba posted a .529 batting average as the Pioneers posted a 2-3 tournament record.

All four Pioneers pitchers have contributed strong performances so far this year, resulting in a 3.42 team ERA. Bailee Glover is tied for the team lead with five victories and a 3.56 ERA, while Abby Greer boasts three shutouts, 10 complete games and a 2.76 ERA in a team-high 96.1 innings. Olivia McWhorter is 2-6 and after a tough start to the season, she has a 3.59 ERA so far on the season.

SCOUTING SONOMA STATE
The Sonoma State Seawolves come into the weekend series with CSUEB with a 21-10 overall mark and 13-5 record in CCAA action after going 2-3 in the 17th Annual Tournament of Champions. Karly Macadangdang leads the Seawolves with 34 hits and three homers. She also has scored 19 runs and 18 RBI. Brielle Vidmar leads Sonoma State with 10 wins from the circle, six shutouts and is second on the team with 23 strikeouts.