HAYWARD, Calif. — On Friday afternoon at Pioneer Softball Field, No. 13 Cal State East Bay secured its spot in the 2025 CCAA Softball Tournament presented by FloCollege for the second consecutive year with a thrilling doubleheader sweep of Chico State. The Pioneers edged the Wildcats 5-4 in a comeback win in the opener and walked off with a 1-0 victory in 10 innings in the second game, fueled by a masterful performance in the circle by Marissa Quintero.
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GAME SUMMARIES |
Game One: Cal State East Bay 5, Chico State 4
The Pioneers struck first with a pair of unearned runs in the fourth inning. Jenna Porto's single down the left field line and subsequent defensive miscues by the Wildcats loaded the bases, and Ysabella Cortez drew a walk to plate the first run. Jennavee Campos followed with a sacrifice fly to left field to bring in a second for a 2-0 lead.
Chico State responded with four runs in the top of the sixth, keyed by a two-run home run from Aiyana Curry. The Wildcats loaded the bases on a single, hit-by-pitch, and a walk, then took a 4-2 lead on RBI free passes and a hit batter.
East Bay's response in the bottom of the seventh was swift. Evyn Morriss worked a leadoff walk, and two batters later, Annelise Garcia tripled to right-center to score Morriss. A fielding error on the ensuing play allowed Garcia to cross the plate and tie the game at 4-4. Moments later, Alexa Zumstein smashed a double down the left field line to score Amelia Morales—pinch running for Cynthia Carrillo—and cap the walk-off rally.
In relief, Jaidyn Gamble picked up the win to improve to 6-2 on the season with 1.1 innings in the circle.
The 5-4 win officially clinched a postseason berth for the Pioneers in the 2025 CCAA Softball Tournament presented by FloCollege, which takes place in Rohnert Park from April 30 to May 3.
Game Two: Cal State East Bay 1, Chico State 0 (10 innings)Game two became a pitcher's duel between Marissa Quintero and Chico's Kylie Loertscher, with both teams locked in a scoreless battle through nine innings.
Quintero allowed just one hit across 10 shutout frames and retired 14 of the final 15 batters she faced. She was backed by standout defense and timely escapes, including a caught stealing in the top of the 10th that erased a potential scoring threat.
In the bottom of the 10th, Jeslyn Cuellar started the frame with a single to left. Ysabella Cortez laid down a bunt to move Cuellar into scoring position. With two outs, Evyn Morriss reached on a throwing error by the shortstop, allowing Cuellar to race home with the winning run.
Quintero picked up her fifth complete game shutout of the season improving to 15-3 with 10 scoreless innings tossed.
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NOTABLE STATS |
- Marissa Quintero has the lowest ERA in the CCAA among qualifying pitchers (1.35) after her fifth complete-game shutout of the season and is keeping hitters she faces to a CCAA-low .188 opponent batting average
- Ashlee Toy had two hits in both games (four total on the day).
- Toy also had seven strikeouts in game one as a starting pitcher.
- The Pioneers have qualified for the CCAA Softball tournament for the second consecutive year and third time in the last four years.
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RECORDS |
No. 13 Cal State East Bay: 34-9, 22-8 CCAA
Chico State: 19-22, 11-19 CCAA
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UP NEXT FOR CAL STATE EAST BAY |
Cal State East Bay will close out its 2025 home schedule on Saturday with another CCAA doubleheader against Chico State at Pioneer Softball Field. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. for game one and 2 p.m. for game two. The day will also feature a senior day ceremony honoring five Pioneers prior to the opener.
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