ROCKLIN, Calif. - After a two-day rain delay, the Jessup baseball team was finally able to make it back on the turf to finish their four-game series against The Master's University with a doubleheader on Monday after a two-game split on Friday.

In what would seem like a short 9-inning win, the Warriors defeated TMU in the opener and followed in an extra-inning battle where the Warriors reigned victorious with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to take the series 3-1 over the Mustangs.

"It's great to be able to win a series especially after a rough start on Friday," head coach Trevor Paine said. "The Master's is a really good opponent and we had to make some adjustments over the weekend to put ourselves in the best opportunities to win. The middle of their lineup is as dangerous as any team in the conference so we had our hands full." 

Starting for the Warriors on the mound in game one was transfer Micah Gunter who would go to collect his second win of the season pitching seven scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Tyler Fujimoto came in to face the final two innings against the Mustangs continuing the shutout and collecting his second save of the year.

The first inning would remain scoreless before the Warrior sparked a run in the bottom of the second led by a double from Joseph Starick and a single by Cal Koga to bring him in. A pair of runs in the fifth would secure the win for the Warriors as Koga walked and was replaced by pinch runner Grant Doi who scored on a single up the middle from Jordan Yu and Kawaiola Takemura bringing in Yu for the final run of the game.

The Mustangs would rally back early in game two posting 7 runs in just the second inning against starter Donovan Ramirez. But a pair of 3-run homers would get the Warriors right back in it with jacks from Jordan Williams and Austen Swift. Steven Talbert would come in to relieve Ramirez pitching an impressive 4.2 innings with three strikeouts and allowing just one hit.

"Even going down 7-0," Paine went on to say, "this is a team with a lot of fight in it that's been down before. The yard was starting to play a little smaller so I knew we just had to focus on getting runners on and run into a couple of pitches. Anytime you are down early in a game it's really important to focus on chipping away at the lead. The home runs by Williams and Swift were big to get us back in the game and get the momentum back on our side. I also can't say enough about the job Talbert did throwing up zeros and letting us slug our way back into the game."

The tying run would be walked in, in the bottom of the six with bases loaded and no outs, nevertheless the Mustangs rallied back with no more damage done by the Warriors to keep it knotted at 7 each.

The seven-inning game would remain tied through the 10th inning, while the Mustangs took a 10-7 lead led by a home run to start the inning, but the Warriors would have the opportunity to counter. And that they did. With two runners on Takemura would hit a triple to the left corner wall and Anders Green would launch the sac-fly to center field scoring the tying run, again. 

"The 10th inning rally was a really special moment for our team. Things were looking bleak and we started the inning off with a quick out," said Paine. "However, I knew that if we could turn the lineup over we had a shot. Shackles and Williams did a great job of finding a way on base and Takemura came up with a huge hit in a big spot. Green executed perfectly with the sac fly to tie the game." 

In the bottom of the 11th, one out, Will Law would hit a deep ball to right center as the Warriors took the walk-off victory over the Mustangs 11-10. Yu would finish on the mound in the top of the frame striking out two of the three he faced for his first win of the season.

Paine commented on Law's ability to end the game with a big hit, "Anytime Will Law comes to the plate he has a chance to make things happen. He had been taking good swings all series and I knew it was only a matter of time before he saw some results. He put a great swing on the ball and took on the big part of the yard which is not easy to do at night."

The Warriors will continue conference play on the road this week heading to San Diego Christian for the four-game series on Friday and Saturday.  
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).