HAYWARD, Calif. — Cal State East Bay hosted Saint Martin's for a non‑conference doubleheader Saturday at Pioneer Baseball Field, where the Pioneers put together several late offensive pushes but came up short in both contests. The Saints claimed game one, 6-3, before taking game two, 12-6, in a seven‑inning matchup.
Saint Martin's 6, Cal State East Bay 3
Saint Martin's jumped ahead with three early runs across the first two innings, applying pressure from the outset before the Pioneers steadied the game. East Bay broke through in the bottom of the fourth when a pair of Saints errors allowed Nick Thomson to advance all the way to third. Dominick Najar then put the Pioneers on the board with an RBI groundout that cut the deficit to 3-1.
The Saints stretched their lead with a run in the fifth and two in the sixth to make it 6-1, but the Pioneers continued to push. In the bottom of the eighth, Caleb Chance — who reached after being hit by a pitch — advanced to second on a passed ball, and Najar scorched a double to bring him home.
East Bay mounted one final surge in the bottom of the ninth, loading the bases with one out. Pinch‑hitter Tysen Ellis lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Alijah Ramos, trimming the Saints' lead to 6-3. But Saint Martin's secured the final out moments later to close out the opener.
Chance collected two hits in game one, while Najar drove in two of East Bay's three runs.
Saint Martin's 12, Cal State East Bay 6 (7 innings)
The Pioneers opened game two with crisp execution. Najar singled to lead off the bottom of the first, stole second, and moved to third on a groundout. Logan Stelling then split the outfield gap for an RBI double, giving East Bay the first lead of the game. After a wild pitch advanced Stelling to third, an error allowed him to score for a 2-0 advantage.
Saint Martin's answered forcefully with a five‑run top of the second, punctuated by a key swing from Noah Albanese. The Saints added three more in the top of the fourth, including a two‑run home run by Dillon Andres.
East Bay battled back in the home half of the fourth when Kyle Dyer launched his second career home run, bringing energy back into the ballpark and trimming the deficit to 8-4. The Saints regained those two runs in the fifth, but the Pioneers kept swinging. Dylan Unangst delivered his first home run as a Pioneer — a two‑run shot in the bottom of the fifth — to pull East Bay within 10-6.
Saint Martin's plated two more in the seventh, and the Pioneers were unable to answer down the stretch as the Saints completed the sweep with a 12-6 win.
Chance posted another two-hit effort in game two, giving him two in each contest and raising his batting average to a team-best .405 — now the sixth-highest mark in the CCAA. Dyer and Unangst each finished with two RBIs in the second game.
The Pioneers (7-7) showed continued offensive spark throughout the day, highlighted by three extra‑base hits and a pair of home runs in game two.
Cal State East Bay and Saint Martin's conclude the series Sunday at Pioneer Baseball Field. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. in what will serve as the final tune‑up before CCAA action begins.
