Halfway through an eight-game stretch against ranked opponents Humboldt State and Monterey Bay, the Cal State East Bay women’s softball team is 2-2 after they split a recent home stand with the No. 19 Humboldt State Jacks.

The Pioneers are now 13-7 overall and 6-6 in California Collegiate Athletic Association games this season while the Jacks are 9-6 overall, 6-2 in CCAA play and could fall out of the top 25 rankings with the two losses.

The schedule is stacked for CSUEB who will host four games against the No. 3 Cal State Monterey Bay Otters on Friday and Saturday. The Otters (13-2 overall, 5-1 conference) have been dominant this year and have outscored their opponents 98-32 this season with just two losses on their record.

CSUEB got things started and took the first game on Friday in a close contest 4-3. The game got off to a rocky start for Pioneers junior pitcher Sierra Clark who gave up a home run to Jacks junior catcher Darian Harris for an early 2-0 advantage. Clark managed to settle down on the mound and gave up just one more run in a complete game for her sixth win of the season.

The Pioneers cut the lead in half in the second inning when CSUEB junior outfielder Lauren Vestal singled to right field and scored senior Jaynie MacDonald, that made the score 2-1 in favor of CSUEB.

The big day continued for MacDonald who homered to left-center field in the bottom of the third inning off of Humboldt junior pitcher Katie Obbema just after the Jacks scored a run in the top half of the inning.

“It didn’t feel like I got it. If there was no wind, it would have dropped at the fence,” MacDonald said. “Luckily there was some wind.”
MacDonald finished the day with three runs batted in and two hits in three plate appearances that included the go ahead runs on her home run that put the Pioneers up for good 4-3 in the victory.

Clark finished with four strikeouts in seven innings of work for CSUEB and is now 6-1 this season.

“We have so many power hitters in our lineup,” Clark said. “Anyone could have done that and it’s nice that Jaynie did that today.”

Despite another home run from Pioneers slugger MacDonald Humboldt State was able to beat CSUEB 3-1 in game two. Jacks pitcher Madison Williams picked up her fourth win of the season as she collected an impressive nine strikeouts in a complete game performance for the sophomore.

Pioneers junior pitcher Tatiana Beilstein fell to 4-3 after the loss despite just three earned runs given up to the ranked Jacks.

Harris and sophomore Tiffany Hollingsworth recorded the RBI’s for the Jacks in game two and combined for nearly half of the Pioneers hits on the day.
Humboldt State junior shortstop Cyndi Chavez recorded two hits and scored a run in the victory.

Game three saw MacDonald continue her hot streak as she belted two more home runs in the 7-5 victory over the Jacks.
MacDonald hit home runs in three consecutive plate appearances for the Pioneers after she put the ball over the left field fence in the first and third innings of game three on Saturday in Hayward.

CSUEB sophomore catcher Ali Cerminara also blasted two home runs in the victory and the two combined for six RBI’s, four hits, and four runs in seven plate appearances.

CSUEB hurler Clark had plenty of run support and picked up her seventh victory of the season as she went the distance again in a complete game effort.
“I went on the offensive and wanted to get ahead in the count,” Clark said after the gamehv.

“I want to do the best I can and shut them down.”

Lightning delayed the start of game four and it seemed to favor Humboldt State who picked up a 4-1 victory in the final game of the series for both teams.
Jacks pitcher Williams picked up the win while CSUEB’s Beilstein recorded the loss on the hill.

Pioneer senior pitcher Emily Perlich pitched three and a third innings in relief of the starter Beilstein.

Williams continued her dominance on the hill for the Jacks and matched her previous nine strikeouts but this time she only gave up one run on three hits to CSUEB.

Pioneers senior Kelsey LaVaute homered off Williams in the bottom of the third inning to right-center field for the lone run of the game for Cal State East Bay.

Harris and Hollingsworth were offensive forces again for Humboldt State and combined for six hits, two RBIs, and two runs scored in the win over Jacks.
“I’m really proud of the work Madison Williams put in today. She really came out this weekend and proved to herself, her team and this league that she is a competitor,” Humboldt State Head Coach Shelli Sarchett said.

“Cal State East Bay is a strong team and I expect to see them later in postseason play.”

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KRISTIANA FEDERE/CONTRIBUTOR