HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay softball team closed out the 2018 season on a high note Saturday at Pioneer Field, prevailing over Cal State San Bernardino by a score of 9-7 in the finale to earn a split of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) series.

The Coyotes were victorious in the first game of the doubleheader, winning 3-2 in an extra-inning dual between aces Abby Greer and Amanda Ramirez. The Pioneers finish 2018 with an overall record of 19-36.

On a day that's typically reserved to celebrate the senior class, the senior-less Pioneers got some outstanding performances from their promising group of underclassmen. 

San Bernardino used two hits and a walk to score two runs in the first and grab an early lead in the morning contest. But Greer settled down after that and fired up seven straight zeroes on the scoreboard. 

The Pioneers couldn't mount any rallies against Ramirez until the bottom of the sixth. Bailee Aguigui led off with a bunt single, but remained on the base paths after a pair of fly outs. With just four outs left to work with, freshman Maddie Ramirez belted a towering home run over the left field fence to tie the game, 2-2. 

The game went into extra innings, but in the top of the eighth, the Coyotes hit three singles off Greer to bring the go-ahead run home. Belle Placencia got into scoring position with one out in the bottom of the frame with CSUEB's two best hitters coming up, but Jennifer Palmares grounded out sharply and Courtney Leyba lined out to center field to end the game.

It was a different story in game two, as both teams scored early and often. After a season of frustrating offensive performances, the Pioneers ended in impressive fashion, scoring in five of the first six innings. 

A pair of CSUSB errors led to East Bay's first run in the bottom of the first. After the Coyotes evened the score in the second, the Pioneers exploded for four runs in the third. A single by Palmares and an error on Leyba's bunt put two runners on. Ramirez gave the Pioneers the lead back with an RBI single, and then Sarah Fukushima blasted a three-run homer to left. 

The lead was short-lived, however, as San Bernardino answered back with five runs on six hits in the top of the fourth. Bailee Glover relieved starter Taylor Lara in the circle and eventually escaped the inning, but she gave up another run in the fifth to give the Coyotes a 7-5 advantage.

But East Bay's offense wasn't done. With two outs and nobody on, Rachel Tadlock reached on an error to extend the inning. Aguigui then singled, Palmares doubled, and Leyba singled, and in the span of eight pitches, the Pioneers had scored three runs to take the lead.

They tacked on an insurance run on an RBI single by Meghan Araneta in the sixth, and head coach Claire Sua-Amundson turned to Greer, who tossed two scoreless innings to finish off the victory and earn her second save.

The Pioneers tallied 11 hits in the game two win, with Fukushima, Palmares, and Leyba leading the way with two apiece. Leyba scored three runs and finished the season with a team-best .341 batting average. Fukushima knocked in a team-high four runs. Glover got the win to close the year 8-7 in the circle.