Pioneers Set to Host Cal State Stanislaus, Travel to Dominican

  • April 8, 2010

HAYWARD, Calif. - The Cal State East Bay softball team is set to meet Cal State Stanislaus in its first home conference series since the first week of March. The Pioneers (12-24, 5-19 CCAA) will face the Warriors in a pair of doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday before heading across the Bay to take on Dominican for a doubleheader on Sunday.

East Bay is coming off a four-game sweep at Humboldt State this week. The Pioneers were out-scored 20-8 in the series, falling in the bottomg of the seventh inning of the second game both days. The series kicked off a six-day span where the Pioneers will play 10 games with just one day off.

Senior catcher Rachelle Boone is pacing the Pioneers with a .293 batting average and 19 RBI on the season. Meanwhile, junior outfielder Nikki Freiberg is batting .291 with a .388 slugging percentage and senior Sarah Davini has scored 18 runs and boasts a team-leading .435 on-base percentage with 18 walks on the year.

In the circle, freshman Lauren Zweigle leads the staff with a 3.73 ERA and 92 strikeouts, which rank fourth in the CCAA. Junior Cat Schorn has made 29 appearances and 17 starts, picking up seven wins, while carrying a 4.41 ERA into this weekend's action.

Cal State Stanislaus (9-28-1, 4-20) has lost four of its last five, but stole a 5-4 victory from No. 12 Sonoma State in the first game of a doubleheader on April 6. Freshman Sarah Locarnini is pacing the Warriors with a .417 average and 22 runs, while junior Missy Corral has driven in a team-leading 22 runs and senior Erica McIntyre is second on the squad with a .320 average and 15 RBI and leads the team with a .481 on-base percentage. In the circle, senior Jennifer Arnold is leading the staff with a 4.39 ERA, while freshman Brittani Weatherford is 5-17 with a 4.75 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 132.2 innings of work.

Dominican comes into the weekend with a 2-20 overall mark but is coming off its second win of the season, a 3-0 victory over BYU-Hawai'i on Mar. 29. The Penguins were swept by the Pioneers in a prior meeting on Mar. 20 in Hayward, falling 11-1 and 13-3, both in five innings.

Junior Robyn Ridpath is leading DU with a .352 average and a .611 slugging percentage, driving in seven runs and scoring eight. Junior Lesley Fay is second on the squad, averaging .235 with three RBI, while sophomore Kellie Hislop and freshman Molly Howard have both scored four runs to tie for second on the team. Freshman Alisha McKnight leads the pitching staff with a 5.07 ERA, while sophomore Jessi Saaty and Fay hold the Penguins' two wins on the year, with Saaty leading the team with 16 strikeouts in 43.1 innings pitched.

The Pioneers and Warriors are set to open their first doubleheader at 1 p.m. on Friday at Pioneer Field. The series-closing matchups are set for a noon first pitch on Saturday, while Sunday's doubleheader at Dominican is scheduled for noon as well.