FREMONT, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay softball team dropped both ends of its doubleheader on Saturday to visiting Sonoma State as the Seawolves won by final scores of 6-2 and 6-5 on a sunny day at Ohlone College.

The series was much more tightly contested that the 4-0 result would suggest, but ultimately the Pioneers were unable to pull out a victory.

For the second day in a row, the first game of the doubleheader started as a tremendous pitcher's dual. Both senior Taylor Lara and SSU's Brielle Vidmar did not allow as hit through the first four innings as the team flashed some impressive defense.

The Seawolves finally broke out in the fifth, plating two runs on three hits. Lara was able to get through a scoreless sixth, then the Pioneers mounted their first rally of the day in the bottom of the inning. Courtney Leyba singled, Sarah Fukushima was hit by a pitch, and Maddie Ramirez reached on an error to load the bases. Another stray pitch hit Desiree Jimmy to bring home a run, then Meghan Araneta tied the game with an RBI ground out.

Lara and Vidmar both stranded a runner in scoring position in the seventh, sending the teams to extra innings. Lara had been brilliant all game, but her luck ran out in the eighth as Sonoma rattled off five straight hits to score four runs and secure the extra-inning win.

Game two of the twinbill was the Araneta show, and once again the Pioneers fell just shy of pulling out a win. After Sonoma took a 1-0 lead off Abby Greer in the second, Araneta tied the game with a solo home run down the left field line. Two innings later, Araneta led off with a single, advanced to second on a bunt, and scored when Haley Davis shot a two-out double into the right-field corner. 

Unfortunately, East Bay's lead was short lived. The the fifth, the Seawolves loaded the bases on three infield singles. Then Jordann White ripped a line rive over the left field fence for a grand slam.

To CSUEB's credit, they continued to battle. Araneta got things started again in the sixth with a triple into the right field corner. Then with two outs, Davis knocked in her second run of the day when she beat out an infield hit. 

Trailing 6-3 going into the bottom of the seventh, Bailee Aguigui led off with a single to third base. After a pair of ground outs, Ramirez kept the Pioneers alive with a double into the left-center gap. That brought up Araneta, who was a double away from the cycle. At one point in the at bat, she hit a foul ball along the right field line that was just a few feet from doing the trick. Araneta ended up roping a one-hopper the opposite way, which the second baseman dove to stop before throwing the ball away past first base. That allowed two runs to score and moved Araneta to second as the tying run, but SSU's Camille Rodriguez was able to retire Jimmy to end the game.

Araneta finished her career day 4-for-4 with three runs scored and nine total bases.

Next week, the Pioneers travel to Arcata to continue their CCAA schedule with a four-game series at Humboldt State.