SEASIDE, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay softball dropped both ends of its doubleheader on a rainy Saturday at Cal State Monterey Bay. The Otters powered their way to a 15-1 win in game one, then pulled off a late rally to beat the Pioneers 11-5 in the nightcap.
The teams navigated through multiple rains delays and were able to complete the doubleheader thanks to CSUMB's artificial turf field and stadium lights. The Saturday sweep gives the Otters a 3-1 series victory over the Pioneers.
After an initial delay of nearly an hour to start the day, the first game got out of hand almost immediately. Five hits, two walks, and a pair of errors led to seven runs in the first inning for the Otters, who chased starter Abby Greer from the game after just one-third of an inning.
Relievers Taylor Lara and Abby Burkholder didn't fare much better, as CSUMB tacked on four runs in the second and four more in the fourth, ultimately winning in five innings on the eight-run rule.
The Pioneers mounted their only scoring rally in the top of the fourth, when Madi Greco laced an opposite field single to bring home Belle Placencia, who had singled to lead off the inning. Those were the only two East Bay hits off Hayley Fein.
The second game of the day was a much more impressive offensive performance for the Pioneers, but the end result was still a disappointing one. Once again the Otters jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the first and another in the second off Bailee Glover.
The junior managed to hang a couple zeroes on the scoreboard after that, however, which allowed the Pioneer bats to get them back in the game. Jennifer Palmares ripped a double down the left field line to plate Courtney Leyba with East Bay's first run in the top of the third. Two innings later, Emilie Portesi led off with an infield single. The Pioneers bunted to advance her into scoring position for Sarah Fukushima, but as it turned out, Portesi would have been in scoring position regardless of which base she occupied. Fukushima blasted her team-leading fourth home run of the season to right-center, tying the game at 3-3.
The Otters took advantage of three free passes, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly to re-take the lead without getting a hit in the bottom of the fifth, but the Pioneers went right back to work offensively. CSUEB loaded the bases on a single by Jackie Najera and a pair of walks in the sixth, then Palmares shot a two-out, two-run single up the middle to give East Bay its first lead of the day.
Unfortunately, the 5-4 lead was short-lived. The Otters got two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the sixth, and then an error by Glover extended the inning. The floodgates opened after that, as CSUMB tallied two more walks and three hits, highlighted by a three-run double to left-center. The home team hung seven runs on the board in the inning, allowing them to pull away for the victory.
Palmares was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate in the finale and knocked in three runs. Fukushima went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, continuing her hot start to the season. The Sacramento native is batting .480 through 19 games and leads the CCAA with a .603 on-base percentage.
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