HAYWARD, Calif., -- The Cal State East Bay softball team will make their final road trip of the regular season as they travel down to Southern California for a four game series at Cal State San Marcos on Friday and Saturday and a doubleheader against Concordia in Irvine on Sunday to end the weekend.
 
The Pioneers are currently 16-29 on the season with a 10-22 mark in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) action.
 
LAST ACTION
The Cal State East Bay softball team opened their Bay Bridge home series against California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) rival San Francisco State by splitting their Thursday afternoon doubleheader at Pioneer Softball Field.
 
With the split the Pioneers move to 16-27 on the season and 10-20 in CCAA action.
 
Both ends of the twinbill were low scoring affairs as three runs was all that was needed to come away with a victory.
 
In the opening game of the doubleheader, the Pioneer out-hit the visiting Gators 6-4 but were plagued by a couple of errors. CSUEB scored the first run of the afternoon as Maddie Ramirez (Chino Hills, Calif.) was walked with the bases loaded bringing home Belle Placencia (Apple Valley, Calif.). Ramirez finished with the Pioneers only RBI of the outing and Placencia added a hit and a run scored.
 
SF State would score a run in the top of the fourth inning to tie the ballgame and added two more runs in the fifth inning to secure the, 3-1 victory to take game one of the series.
 
Jennifer Palmares (Elk Grove, Calif.), Sarah Fukushima (Sacramento, Calif.), Courtney Leyba (Huntington Beach, Calif.), Meghan Araneta (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) and Baille Aguigui (Vacaville, Calif.) all tallied a hit apiece for Cal State East Bay.
 
Abby Greer (L, 5-13) (Beaverton, Ore) got the start in the circle for the Pioneers and tossed a complete game with a game high three strikeouts. Greer now has 12 complete games on the season and leads CSUEB with 76 punchouts.
 
In the doubleheader finale sophomore Olivia McWhorter (W, 3-7) (Cypress, Calif.) went the distance, helping Cal State East Bay garner a split to open the four game CCAA series.
 
The Pioneers jumped out to an early, 2-0 lead in the opening inning of action before adding their final run of the game in the bottom of the fifth innings. East Bay was able to hold off a late SF State rally in the top of the seventh inning to pull off the, 3-2 win.
 
Courtney Leyba and Rachel Tadlock (Woodland, Calif.) both registered multi-hit performances for CSUEB as Leyba finished with two hits, including a triple, an RBI and a run scored. Tadlock compiled two hits and an RBI.
 
Jennifer Palmares led East Bay with two runs scored to go along with a hit. Sarah Fukushima chipped in a hit and an RBI.
 
Saturday's first game was a close one, but as has been an issue for the Pioneers all season, they found themselves in an early hole in the first inning. The Gators opened the game with three straight hits. After a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch, SFSU led 3-0 and head coach Claire Sua-Amundson removed starter Abby Greer in favor of junior Bailee Glover.
 
After escaping the inning, Glover was a bright spot for East Bay the rest of the game. She allowed just one earned run over the next six innings, giving the Pioneer bats a chance to come back.
 
CSUEB stranded two in scoring position in the second, then finally broke through in the third. Bailee Aguigui led off with a triple and Jennifer Palmares knocked her in with a single through the hole. The Pioneers pushed across another run in the sixth when Palmares and Maddie Ramirez notched singles and Sarah Fukushima was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Glover picked up an RBI with a ground out, but the Pioneers left two more runners on.
 
SF State answered back with two runs in the sixth, taking advantage of a Pioneer defensive error. Those runs proved to be crucial when Fukushima belted a two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Her second round-tripper of the year brought East Bay back within one, but the Gators retired the next batter to end the game.
 
After falling just short in game one, East Bay was never close in game two. The Gators scored five runs in the first inning off Olivia McWhorter and three more in the second off Greer, putting the home team in a big hole early.
 
It was 11-0 by the time the Pioneers finally got on the scoreboard. Three outs away from losing by the eight-run rule, East Bay took advantage of an error and staged a two-out rally to extend the game. A two-run triple by Courtney Leyba and an RBI single by Ramirez plated three runs. Ramirez came around to score on a wild pitch to make it 11-4, but unfortunately the Pioneers weren't able to score in their final two at bats.
 
Taylor Lara pitched the final 4.0 innings in relief for CSUEB, allowing three earned runs.
 
Ramirez posted a three-hit game in the finale and finished 4-for-8 in the doubleheader. Fukushima reached base five hits, going 2-for-5 on the day with three hit-by-pitches.
 
PIONEER POINTS
Offensively, sophomore Jennifer Palmares is leads the Pioneers with a .327 average, .394 on-base percentage, 31 runs scored and is second in the CCAA with 15 doubles. Fellow sophomore Sarah Fukushima (.302 avg, 27 RBI, 12 extra base hits) has been a consistent bat for the Pioneers as she leads the team with two home runs on the season. Junior Courtney Leyba is also off to a productive start with a .317 average, 29 runs, 29 RBI, and 13 extra base hits including a conference leading seven triples.
 
All four Pioneers pitchers have contributed strong performances so far this year, resulting in a 3.35 team ERA. Bailee Glover leads East Bay with seven victories and a 2.67 ERA, while Abby Greer boasts three shutouts, 12 complete games and a 2.92 ERA in a team-high 117.2 innings.
 
SCOUTING CAL STATE SAN MARCOS
The Cal State San Marcos Cougars are currently 10-32 on the season with a 6-26 record in conference play after splitting their home series, 2-2 against Cal State Dominguez Hills. Rae Camez leads Cal State San Marcos with 35 hits, 22 runs scored and 39 total bases. Caitlyn Vinyard leads the Cougars pitching staff with five wins, a 4.17 ERA and 12 complete games.
 
SCOUTING CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY
The Concordia University Eagles are sitting 25-11 on the season and 12-6 in PACWEST action after sweeping doubleheaders over Biola University and Cal State Dominguez Hills. Ryann Ferguson leads Concordia with 42 hits, 21 runs scored and is second on the team with five home runs. Pitcher Callie Nunes leads the Eagles with a 0.38 ERA, a 15-3 record, 12 complete games and 204 strikeouts.