HAYWARD, Calif., -- The Cal State East Bay softball team will head north for a four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) series against Humboldt State this weekend at HSU Softball Field. The games have been moved back a day from the original schedule due to rain in the forecast and will now be played Saturday and Sunday.
 
East Bay comes into the matchup with the Lumberjack at 3-20 on the season with a 1-15 showing in league play.
 
WEEK IN REVIEW
The Cal State East Bay softball team dropped both ends of its doubleheader Friday to Sonoma State to open the four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) series between the two squads.
 
In what felt like a rarity for the 2019 season, it was sunny and warm for a game day -- particularly warm down on the artificial turf on the field at Ohlone College where the teams played. Ultimately, the Pioneers struggled to put offensive rallies together, as the Seawolves recorded a 6-0 shutout in the opener, then won by a final score of 16-1 in just five innings in game two.
 
The afternoon started as a great pitcher's dual between SSU's Brielle Vidmar and East Bay's Abby Greer, who both opened the game by tossing four scoreless innings. Greer allowed just two hits during those four frames, but Sonoma finally broke out offensively in the fifth. Five hits resulted in four Seawolf runs, and it chased Greer from the game.
 
The back end of the twinbill was all Seawolves as the visitors scored in every inning, starting with six runs in the top of the first. The Pioneers committed three defensive errors behind Bailee Glover to extend that inning, and then Sonoma batters made them pay with a single and three doubles before East Bay even got a chance to bat.
 
The bright spot offensively for the Pioneers was Maddie Ramirez, who scored and drove in the team's only run of the day. Leading off the bottom of the first, Ramirez belted one over the center field fence for a solo home run, her first of the season. The sophomore also shot an opposite-field triple over the right-fielder's head in her last at bat to finish the game 2-for-3 with seven total bases.
 
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.
 
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.
 
PIONEER POINTS
No Pioneer hitter has been hotter than Sarah Fukushima, however. Through 23 games, the junior is third in the CCAA with a .543 on-base percentage. She's also seventh in the league with a .419 batting average. Fukushima leads the Pioneers with 12 runs, 26 hits and 12 RBI with four home runs.
 
Junior Emilie Portesi has had a resurgent season thus far, batting .268 and she is second on the team with 10 runs scored. Senior Meghan Araneta has provided a boost as well, hitting .379 in conference play. Araneta was named CSUEB Athlete of the Week after a career day with 4-for-4 with three runs scored and nine total bases against Sonoma State.
 
 
In the circle, the Pioneers will look for their veteran pitcher to give keep them in it against a typically strong Humboldt State club. Abby Greer leads East Bay with 22 strikeouts through 39.2 innings tossed in nine appearences.
 
SCOUTING HUMBOLDT STATE
The Humboldt State Lumberjacks enter their weekend home series against East Bay carrying a 7-16 overall record on the season with a 3-15 mark in conference action. Danica Grier leads HSU with 30 hits and a .400 batting-average. Rylie Carlier has a team-best 5 home runs with a .621 slugging percentage. In the circle, Lexee Sheiring is tops on the Lumberjacks with 33 strikeouts through 50.2 innings tossed.