ROCKLIN, Calif. – After a number of disappointing losses against Oregon Institute of Technology and Southern Oregon University this weekend, the Warrior softball team showed they are here to play as they soundly defeated Holy Names University Saturday afternoon, 6-3.
Game 1
Jessup opened Saturday with an early morning game against Southern Oregon University. Jessup had some bright moments throughout the game but struggled to get anybody completely around the diamond in the 4-0 loss. It wasn't that Jessup wasn't getting on base, as they finished with six hits compared to SOU's seven hits in the game, Jessup simply didn't have the string that got a Warrior back to home base.
Sophomore Shelbi Graifman started off the day on the mound for Jessup. She remained in the game for all seven innings and even though she was credited the loss on the day, none of the four runs scored against her were earned runs.
Game 2
William Jessup appeared to put everything together later in the day in game two against NCAA DII Holy Names University. Even so, it was Holy Names that struck first, scoring one run off of two Jessup errors. The Warriors quickly rallied to the situation, however. In the top of the second inning freshman Kristina Ortiz (Clovis, CA) started off the batting order with a single, just over the head of the pitcher and through the middle of the infield.
Freshman teammate Mikayla Laymance (Grass Valley, CA) sacrificed her at-bat to advance Ortiz with a well-placed bunt. It would be yet another one of Jessup's promising freshman class, Kaylee Surrell (Stockton, CA), who would double and drive in Jessup's first run just before senior Delaney Slater (Folsom, CA) sent a burner down the right field line to drive in two additional runs.
Holy Names struck back immediately scoring two additional runs in the third to set things even with the Warriors at 3-3. In the top of the fifth Miskimen advanced another Jessup runner, senior Riley Williams (Orangevale, CA) with a base hit that sent Williams home for the Jessup lead. The Warriors didn't want to keep Holy Names in the game, though. They turned around in the sixth and sent two more runs across home plate from a double down the left field line from Junior Kayla Cisneros (Visalia, CA). The run would be more than Holy Names could recover from and Jessup left the day victorious 6-3.
Senior Jessica Myers (Modesto, CA) earned the win on the day pitching all seven innings allowing three earned runs on five hits while Holy Names' Vanessa Pulido allowed six earned runs and 14 hits.
William Jessup's softball team will have little time to rest; they head to Redding on Friday to play six games in two days at the Simpson Softball Invitational. They return to Rocklin on February 15 to host Simpson University at Azevedo Park in a double-header starting at 1 p.m.
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William Jessup University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on William Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: William Jessup University Athletics (Facebook), @WJUSports (Twitter), and @JessupAthletics (Instagram, and Snapchat).
