HAYWARD, Calif. -- The final home game of the 2019 season was a memorable one for the Cal State East Bay softball team as they forced extra innings against No. 25 Chico State with a rally in the seventh inning before earning a walk-off win in the 10th to finish off the series against the Wildcats.

Chico broke out offensively in the first game of the doubleheader for a 10-5 victory, and they appeared to be headed for a four-game sweep before the Pioneers pulled off their dramatic comeback to capture the series finale.

The twinbill was preceded by the annual "Senior Day" ceremony to honor seniors Meghan Araneta, Kassie Kochan, Taylor Lara, Courtney Leyba, Belle Placencia, and Rachel Tadlock prior to their final collegiate home games. 

All six seniors were in the lineup for game one, and despite the loss, the Pioneer offense had several highlights. Araneta went 2-for-3 with an RBI double, Kochan hit an opposite-field double, Placencia knocked in a run with a two-bagger, and Leyba had a hit and a run scored. 

The star of the first game was a junior, however. Shortstop Jennifer Palmares had a great afternoon with the glove, and she was the catalyst for the CSUEB lineup as well. She ripped her first home run of the season to left in the third inning, and finished the game 3-for-4 with three runs batted in and seven total bases.

Unfortunately, the Wildcats racked up 14 hits and took advantage of four Pioneer errors, pulling away for the win the late innings.

It was a completely difference story in game two, which ended up being much more of a pitchers' dual. Aside from a rally in the third inning when they got three runs on five hits, Chico State had very little success against CSUEB ace Abby Greer.

It appeared as though that three-run inning would be enough to win, however. Araneta knocked in Maddie Ramirez with East Bay's first run in the bottom of the fifth, but the home team still trailed 3-1 heading into the last inning. But instead of accepting defeat and moving on to the postgame "Senior Day" festivities, they decided to treat the crowd to a thrilling finish.

Leyba and Sarah Fukushima led off the seventh with singles, and then an infield error brought home CSUEB's second run. Then with one out and runners on second and third, Madi Greco shot a hard grounder that kicked off the third baseman's glove, allowing the tying run to score. The Pioneers ended up stranding a pair, unable to plate the winning run to cap off that rally. 

Greer preceded to mow down Chico for three more innings, and the Pioneer bats finally got back to work in the 10th. A leadoff single by Emilie Portesi and another infield error by the Wildcats put two runners on, then Fukushima was hit by a pitch to load the bases. That brought up Ramirez, who lined a single right back up the middle to bring home the winning run.

Greer earned the complete game victory with one of the most impressive efforts of her career. She pitched all 10 innings, scattered just nine total hits, and finished the game with seven consecutive scoreless frames. 

Greco, Ramirez, Palmares, and Fukushima all had multi-hit games in the three hour, twenty minute marathon.