HAYWARD, Calif. — Cal State East Bay closed its CCAA series against No. 9 Cal State Monterey Bay with a 7-2 victory Sunday afternoon at Pioneer Stadium.

The Pioneers built an early lead and never trailed, using timely hitting and strong relief pitching to secure the win.

East Bay struck first in the opening inning. Dominick Najar reached base and advanced before Alijah Ramos lined a two-run double to left field, giving the Pioneers a 2-0 advantage.

The Pioneers added two more in the second. Micah Cervantes singled and moved into scoring position before Najar delivered a two-run single up the middle to extend the lead to 4-0.

Monterey Bay answered in the third with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 4-1, but East Bay responded in the bottom half. Caleb Chance drove in a run with a single to make it 5-1.

The Otters picked up another run in the sixth, trimming the margin, but East Bay had already created enough separation.

Cristian Angulo and Gio Martini each drove in runs during a two-run fifth inning as the Pioneers added to their lead.

Najar paced the offense with two hits and two RBIs, while Cervantes recorded two hits and scored twice. East Bay finished with nine hits in the victory.

On the mound, Jack Harper started and worked 2.2 innings, allowing one run. Derek Murphy earned the win with 6.1 innings of relief, surrendering one run while striking out seven.

Cal State East Bay will look to carry momentum into next week as it hosts Cal State LA for a CCAA series.