TURLOCK, Calif. -- Before opening the annual Tournament of Champions, the Cal State East Bay softball team got the week started early, splitting a makeup doubleheader with Cal State San Bernardino Thursday at Pedretti Sports Complex. 

The Pioneers supplied some late-inning offense to take the first game of the day, 5-3, then the Coyotes bounced back to win the back end of the twinbill by a score of 4-0.

There was quite a bit of offense on both sides in game one, as the teams combined for 19 hits. In the end, junior Abby Greer was more effective than her counterparts at escaping trouble. She earned her third straight win with a complete game effort. Greer scattering nine hits, but did not walk a batter. 

San Bernardino opened the scoring with an unearned run in the first, then the Pioneers finally got their bats going in the third. A leadoff double by Jennifer Palmares and an opposite-field single by Jackie Najera evened the score at 1-1.

The score stayed that way into the sixth inning, when the Pioneers finally mounted another rally. Base hits by Courtney Leyba and Maddie Ramirez set the table, then Madi Greco hooked a single down the left field line to give East Bay the lead. Meghan Araneta followed with a sacrifice bunt to plate another run.

The Coyotes got one back in the sixth, but Greer stranded runners at the corners to preserve the lead. Then in the seventh, a triple by Emilie Portesi, another single by Leyba, and a double into the left-center gap by Sarah Fukushima brought home two huge insurance runs for CSUEB. As a result, San Bernardino's solo home run in the bottom of the seventh didn't hurt them as Greer closed out the victory.

Leyba finished with three of East Bay's nine hits, and Palmares went 2-for-3. It's the third straight complete game for Greer, who has lowered her ERA by two full runs over the last three weeks. 

Aside from a double by Fukushima and two singles by Portesi, the Pioneers were unable to mount much offense in game two. The Coyotes scored two in the first, one in the third, and one more in the fifth in support of starter Amanda Ramirez, who tossed a three-hit shutout. 

Senior Taylor Lara gave East Bay a solid effort in defeat, going the distance in the circle and allowing seven Coyote hits.

The Pioneers will now remain in Turlock to play five non-conference games over the next three days, starting with matchups against Western Oregon and Hawaii Hilo on Friday afternoon.