WAIPAHU, Hawaii – Cal State East Bay baseball opened the 2024 season at the Oahu Baseball Classic on Friday after Thursday's postponed games. The Pioneers topped Chaminade University 9-6 in the opener, and lost 4-2 to Hawai'i Pacific in the later game.
 

GAME SUMMARIES

Game One – Cal State East Bay 9, Chaminade 6
The Pioneers opened the scoring in the top of the third inning with four runs – one coming on a Danelle Daniels triple to center field that drove in Brenden Bell, one on a sacrifice fly by Jaylen Hodges that scored Daniels and two more on a Luke Brown single to right center that scored Alonzo Guijarro and Luke Novitske.
 
The Pioneers added a run in the top of the fifth on a Novitske single down the left field line that scored Niko Mollat for a 5-0 lead. The Silverswords scored their first run as a reinstated program in the bottom of the fifth to trim the Pioneers' lead to 5-1. The Pioneers added one run in the top of the sixth and three more in the top of the eighth to lead 9-1.
 
In the bottom of the eighth, the Silverswords would put up four runs to trim the Pioneers' lead to 9-5 and threatened to come back with one more run in the bottom of the ninth, but the Pioneers recorded the final out on a groundout to win 9-6 to open the season.
 

• Gabe Tanner picked up his first win of the season, going 7.0 innings on the mound with five strikeouts and one run allowed.
• The save went to Caleb Schaeffer, who pitched 1.1 innings allowing one run with two strikeouts.
• Luke Brown went 2-5 with two RBIs to lead the Pioneers' offense.
• Hodges had three RBIs in the season opener.
• The game for Chaminade was the first for the reinstated program since 1981, and 1980 as a varsity intercollegiate program.

 
Game Two – Hawai'i Pacific 4, CSU East Bay 2
The Pioneers took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Novitske launched a two-run home run to left field. Hodges was driven in on the home run.
 
The Sharks trimmed the Pioneers' lead in half in the bottom of the first inning on an RBI double from Kota Suzuki. In the bottom of the fifth, Suzuki scored the tying run to even the game at 2-2, scoring on a sacrifice fly. An error allowed HPU to score the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh, and the Sharks added one more run in the bottom of the eighth on a bases loaded walk to Nicolas Jio.

• Sam Gilliam led the Pioneers' offense going 2-for-4.
• Novitske's home run was the third of his career.

 

POSTGAME QUOTE

Cal State East Bay head coach Mike Cummins following Friday's season opening set of games:
"Outstanding performance from Gabe Tanner to open the season, played clean baseball and got some clutch two-out hits. Second game we had our chances but could not cash in."
 

UP NEXT FOR CAL STATE EAST BAY

The Pioneers will play a doubleheader against UH Hilo tomorrow. First pitch of game one will be at 10 a.m. Hawaii time (noon Pacific) from Patsy T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park.