The CSU East Bay Pioneer baseball team squared off against the Stanislaus State Warriors on Friday to kick off a four game series against their California Collegiate Athletic Association opponent.

The Pioneers defeated the Warriors handily in the first game of the series, 5-0, behind a dominant performance by senior Ben O’Bryan, who credits one pitch for his great performance.

“My fast ball,” said O’Bryan, who pitched seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts. “I was just able to locate that and keep it down in the zone and get ahead with first pitch strikes.”

Jordan Wilder, senior outfielder, believes O’Bryan was successful for a different reason.

“Not many walks,” said Wilder, who went 2-4 and scored a run. “He was just going straight after the batters and that’s why he had success.”

The Pioneers believed they were going to be in a classic pitching duel, with both teams pitching lights out. The Pioneers finally broke through in the fourth inning however, scoring four times and breaking the game wide open.

“That was our second time around seeing him,” said Wilder about the opposing pitcher. “I feel like we got a good feel for the pitches that he had and we just stayed in the zone and just grinded it out.”

The attitude of the Pioneer hitters at the plate was another factor according to the coaching staff.

“I think the guys were just patient, they weren’t too over aggressive.” said Assistant Coach Darren Lewis. “We did a good job at laying off bad pitches and had really good pitch selection and when you do that you get the pitcher in hitters counts.”

Lewis thinks it was a balanced attack that helped his team get the victory.

“We pitched well, we played good defense, we got the big inning so that was a key to the game and our pitchers basically just had a great game,” said Lewis. “It’s all about pitching and great defense and getting timely hitting. That’s what we got today.”

The Pioneers believe winning the first game in a series is crucial for their success.

“Basically, win the first game of the series and set the tempo for the rest of the series,” said O’Bryan. “We need to carry that momentum over.”

Brandon Alexander, junior outfielder, wowed the crowd with an opposite field home run in the seventh to seal the win for his team.

On Saturday, the Pioneers went to Turlock to continue the series with the Warriors in a double header.

The Pioneers overwhelmed the Warriors in the first game of the doubleheader, scoring early and often on their way to the 13-2 victory, clinching at least a split in the four game series.

The Pioneers were less fortunate in the second game of the double header, losing 6-5.

The Pioneers found themselves down 5-1 in the sixth but staged a furious comeback to tie the game. The winning run would ultimately come on a series of errors that cost the Pioneers the game.

The Pioneers found themselves back at home for the final game of the four game series with the Warriors with junior Sean Becker on the mound.

Becker overpowered the Warrior hitters, pitching a complete game shut out while striking out nine and only walking one. With Becker’s gem of a performance and senior Kyle Zozaya’s four hit day which included a home run, the Pioneers were able to defeat the Warriors 8-0 and win the series.

Looking forward, the Pioneers have their eyes set on the team’s ultimate goal.

“To make playoffs,” said O’Bryan. “Make it to the playoffs and make it to the national championship and I think we have the team to do it.”

While the 11-4 overall record has the players looking towards the end of the season, Lewis and the coaching staff are trying to keep their team focused on the work that still has to be done.

“Playing the game according to the score board, don’t get ahead of yourself, stay focused on what your job is and basically just play the game right,” said Lewis. “If we play the game right, we should have a chance to be in some ballgames …which will hopefully translate into some more wins in 2013.”

The Pioneers next game will be March 1 when they start a four game series against the Sonoma State Seawolves.