LINCOLN, Calif. - Their final weekend at home, the Warrior's softball team played host to the two top-ranked and nationally recognized teams in the country starting with Hope International on Friday. The Warriors would take game one over the Royals, but a late comeback would end up short with a split on the day, the Warriors now 17-17, 9-11.
The visiting team would hit the board early in the first inning with a 2-0 advantage, but the Warriors wouldn't sleep long when they had their chance to fire back in the bottom of the frame matching their lead. Recent GSAC Player of the Week, Mahana Johns would rally the two-RBI double to even the score after one frame.
Another pair of runs would follow for the Oaks as they held a 4-2 lead for the next three innings. The fifth inning would bring the Warriors within one, but the sixth inning would be the icing on the cake as they tallied three runs led by senior
Mikayla Laymance.
The Warriors led 6-4 with three outs between them and the win.
Brooke Sarro would start for the Warriors and take the win for the day, now 8-7 overall, but it would be reliever
Taylor Garcia that would come in with bases loaded and allow just one run to score as the Warriors took it 6-5 over the Oaks.
It wouldn't be any different in game two as the Oaks, again, struck first with a trio of runs. Matching that total were the Warriors in the bottom of the first,
Lauren Garoutte and
Natalie Basaldua with a pair of doubles to wipe the Oaks' advantage clean, tied 3-3.
But a scoring surge by the Top-25 team would add 5 runs in the second and two in the fourth, only being able to match a single run in the bottom of the second. The score would read 11-4 before a muti-run inning in the bottom of the fourth would give the Warriors hope.
Johns would rally for an RBI-triple while
Chelsie Kam-Aweau followed bringing in Johns and Basaldua hit another double as Jessup trailed just 11-7. The final run for the Warriors would come in the bottom of the sixth as
Jenna Patterson hit a solo shot to right center.
The Warriors will return home for their final series of the regular-season against Vanguard starting at 12 pm and 2 pm at Wilson Park in Lincoln.
***
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).
