ROCKLIN, Calif.  - William Jessup (2-2) baseball closed out the opening series with Corban University (2-2) on Saturday afternoon with an early lead in game one and come-back lead in game two, but not enough for the wins, dropping the final two games but the series split.

"As a whole, this was a productive weekend for our team," head coach in his first season, Jake McKinley said. "We experienced ups and downs and showed resilience in key moments. It's a long season so these early games should allow us to learn where we're  at. I think we learned a lot about ourselves and will continue to develop as a team."

In the opening inning, Will Law got the Warriors on the board first with a bomb over the centerfield wall. However, Corban would answer back scoring on a Jessup error and evening the playing field through the next three innings. 

Back-to-back homers in the fifth inning by Josh Duitsman and Cal Koga would erase the two runs Corban scored the frame prior, but another three runs in the sixth would push the lead 6-3 in Corban's favor.

Jessup loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth as Steve Pastora reached home on an error by Corban, but another three runs in the following innings would give Corban win 8-4.

Game two started off in Corban's favor with three runs before the Warriors found the board in the bottom of the third. Joseph Howell sparked the bottom of the fourth with a single, followed by a double delivered by Koga to score Dakota Spillers (4-2). Joe Starick would bring another run in followed by Duitsman as Jessup tied it up 4-4 headed to the fifth.

Corban would add 9 runs in the fifth inning and 4 in the final inning to take game two 17-7. 

Four Warriors would tally hits in game two, with Koga leading the way, 2-for-4 with a solo RBI and Duitsman with 3 RBI's.

Jessup will host their next opponent back at McBean Park on Saturday (11am/2pm) and Sunday (1pm/4pm) next week against Oregon Tech University.   
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) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat).