HAYWARD, Calif. -- Rain in the forecast for the San Diego area has forced a last-minute schedule change to this weekend's California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) series between Cal State East Bay and No. 25 ranked UC San Diego. The Pioneers will get off the plane Thursday afternoon and immediately head to UCSD's La Jolla campus to play the series opener under the lights at 8:15 p.m.

The teams are scheduled for a doubleheader Friday starting at 1:00 p.m., followed by the series finale Saturday at 11:00 a.m., with the goal of squeezing in as many games as possible around the rainy weather.

The Pioneers are off to a tough start to CCAA play after being swept on the road by No. 5 Chico State and dropping three out of home last weekend to Cal State Dominguez Hills. The slate doesn't get any easier this week against the Tritons, who cracked the national top-25 after winning six games in a row.

The main issue for East Bay has been its offense, as the Pioneers have scored more than three runs just once in their last eight contests. During conference play this season, they're batting .237 and averaging just 2.8 runs per game. 

Among the bright spots offensively have been been sophomore Jennifer Palmares and freshman Maddie Ramirez. The former is batting .325 for the season with a .402 on-base percentage and ranks among the CCAA leaders in hits and doubles. The latter is tops on the team with a .328 batting average, .507 slugging and 15 RBI as a rookie. Sophomore Sarah Fukushima has also showed sings of breaking out after a slow start. The first baseman earned CSUEB Athlete of the Week honors after going 6-for-12 against the Toros with a .571 on-base percentage, four runs, three RBI, and her first homer of the year.

East Bay's pitching has been an area of strength, with all four hurlers providing valuable innings in the circle. Abby Greer paces the squad with three wins, a 2.08 ERA, six complete game, 60.2 innings, and 41 strikeouts. She took a tough loss in the opener against CSUDH, but also earned a victory with a two-hit shutout Sunday morning. Fellow sophomore Olivia McWhorter has a 2-2 record in 10 appearances with a 3.00 ERA in 44.1 innings.

The Pioneers have posted a 2.88 team ERA, with juniors Bailee Glover (23.0 IP) and Taylor Lara (22.2 IP) adding solid contributions as well. UC San Diego has accumulated a 2.45 team ERA, but the Tritons relay  heavily on once ace who has thrown more than twice as many innings as anyone on the team. Fortunately for the Tritons, Robyn Wampler has been dominant, posting a 12-2 record, six complete games, and a 1.30 ERA in 75.1 innings. 

After splitting each of their first two CCAA series with Humboldt State and Sonoma State, the Tritons most recently swept four games against Cal State San Marcos. They have been outstanding offensively, batting .330 as a team and averaging over six runs per game. UCSD has eight regular batting at least .300, led by Kelsi Maday (.436 avg, .529 obp, 21 R, 15-19 SB) and Bobbi Aguirre (.400 avg, 4 HR, 20 RBI).