HAYWARD, Calif. — On a crisp Wednesday afternoon at Pioneer Softball Field, No. 2 Cal State East Bay opened its 2026 home slate with resolve, poise and a flair for late-game execution, sweeping No. 16 Concordia University Irvine 2-0 and 4-3 in 10 innings. The day featured another dominant outing from ace Marissa Quintero and a walk-off double in extras from Jasmyn Morales, extending the Pioneers' win streak to 15 straight (16-1).
Cal State East Bay 2, CUI 0
East Bay and CUI traded scoreless frames through the first three innings as Quintero established her presence early, striking out the side in both the top of the second and the top of the fourth. Her command and East Bay's defense kept the Golden Eagles from capitalizing on scattered traffic throughout the game.
The Pioneers opened the scoring in the bottom of the fourth when Jeslyn Cuellar was hit by a pitch to lead off. After a popup, Morales singled up the middle, pushing Cuellar into scoring position. With two outs, pinch hitter Reagan Hallett came off the bench and delivered a sharp RBI single, allowing Cuellar to race home for a 1-0 advantage.
In the bottom of the sixth, East Bay again used a leadoff baserunner via hit-by-pitch — this time Morales — to build momentum. A passed ball moved her into scoring position, and a wild pitch advanced her to third. Hallett, already in rhythm from her earlier success, punched another RBI single to extend the lead to 2-0.
CUI continued to generate baserunners, but each time the pressure mounted, Quintero responded with poise. She closed out a brilliant complete-game shutout, allowing only two hits with nine strikeouts, sealing the home opener with emphatic control.
Cal State East Bay 4, CUI 3 (10 innings)
The Golden Eagles jumped ahead early in the rematch, scoring twice in the top of the first on a pair of RBI doubles, then adding a sacrifice fly in the top of the second for a 3-0 lead. The Pioneers' offense stayed quiet through the first three innings before beginning their climb back.
In the bottom of the fourth, Gomez ignited the inning with a leadoff double. Morales reached on an error, placing runners at the corners. A productive flyout by Cynthia Carrillo moved Morales to second, while Gomez remained anchored at third. With two in scoring position, Hallett hit a ball to second that CUI could not control, and the error allowed both Gomez and Morales to score, trimming the deficit to 3-2.
The equalizer arrived in the bottom of the sixth when Gomez ripped her second double of the game to center field. Another Golden Eagles miscue allowed Morales to reach safely and Gomez to sprint home, tying the game at 3-3.
Both teams threatened in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, but neither could break the stalemate. Quintero, entering in relief, silenced CUI across 4.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts, lowering her ERA to a stunning 0.22 while improving to 11-0.
In the bottom of the 10th, Sarissa Block sparked the decisive rally with an infield single. Cuellar followed with a well-placed sacrifice bunt to move Block into scoring position. After a groundout, Morales strode to the plate and drilled a walk-off RBI double — a soaring shot to center field that sent Block charging home and the Pioneers rushing out of the dugout to celebrate a 4-3 victory and a doubleheader sweep.
Gomez finished game two 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two doubles. Hallett capped her strong day by going 3-for-6 with three RBIs across both games. East Bay now sits one win shy of matching the program's longest-ever win streak of 16.
Cal State East Bay travels to the NorCal Crossover Softball Tournament on Saturday, February 28, facing Western Washington at 2 p.m. and Saint Martin's at 5 p.m. at the Tracy Sports Complex. The Pioneers earned victories over both opponents earlier this month and look to continue their remarkable early-season surge.
