Sports

The Pioneers Break Records After Sweeping CSU Stanislaus

By Amanda Zepeda
Sports Editor

Photographer: Courtesy Pioneer Athletics

Senior Taylor Neumann is now the all-time leading home run hitter for the Pioneers.

The CSU East Bay softball team currently finds themselves in the midst of a five-game winning streak after sweeping CSU Stanislaus over the weekend.

The Pioneers hosted the Warriors for a four game set on March 17 and 18, with two games being played each day.

Initially, the games were scheduled for Friday and Saturday but were pushed back due to the weather conditions last weekend.

In the first game of the series, the Pioneers defeated the Warriors in convincible fashion with a final score of 10-1. The second game on Saturday was a much closer affair, but the Pioneers were able to claim the win 2-1.

On Sunday, the Pioneers began the day in dominant fashion once again as they claimed the third game of the series 10-2. The Pioneers were then able to finalize the sweep in the final game of the series in extra innings, with a final score of 7-6.

The victory marks the first sweep of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) season for the Pioneers in a series where the Pioneers hit a total of 10 home runs, bringing their season total to 35, breaking the previous school record, which was set last season at 31 home runs.
East Bay hit eight home runs on Sunday, setting a new season record with senior Taylor Neumann setting the CSUEB home run record with two home runs in the series, raising her career total to 19 home runs as well as making school history.

For her performance over the weekend, Neumann was named the Worth/CCAA Player of the Week on Monday. The catcher put up impressive numbers with a .615 batting average, hitting safely in all four games, while scoring four runs and driving in four to help propel the Pioneers to their first season sweep of the year.

With her two home runs, Neumann raised her home run total to 12 on the season, which currently leads the conference and ranks in the top three in all of Division II.

The Moorpark native had already set the new single season home run record for the Pioneers earlier this season and her weekend performance broke the career mark, previously held by Jen King who played for CSUEB from 2003 to 2006, according to Pioneer Athletics.

In just her second season with the Pioneers, Neumann is just three away from tying the CCAA single season record with 13 more games yet to play this year.

The current single season CCAA record is held by CSU Monterey Bay’s Shae Olds who set the record in 2009, according to Pioneer Athletics.

For her CCAA Player of the Week honors, Neumann became the second Pioneer softball player to be recognized this season, joining teammate Sara Holdridge who was honored on Feb. 13, and she also becomes the sixth Pioneer athlete to receive the award this athletic year joining water polo player Jayme Pekarske, men’s golfer Chris Herzog and men’s basketball players Mark Samuels and Roshun Wynne.

Under the direction of head coach Barbara Pierce, the Pioneers currently obtain a 16-14 overall record and a 8-12 conference record good for sixth place in the CCAA.

The Pioneers will try to keep their win streak alive as they will pay a visit to nationally ranked and third place UC San Diego this weekend for a four game set. The Pioneers are scheduled to open the series against the Tritons on March 25.

This entry was published in The Pioneer Online on Thursday, March 22nd, 2012 at 6:15 pm.