LINCOLN, Calif. - The final home games of the season would be played at McBean Park on Thursday where the Warriors dropped game one but went the distance with Hope International in extra innings to earn the walk-off victory and 3-1 series advantage. The Warriors advance to 20-10 in conference play, tied for second in the GSAC standings, headed into their final series of the regular-season.
Head Coach
Trevor Paine commented on the team's toughness to stay strong through the three extra innings in game two, "We have shown a lot of mental toughness this entire season. The way we have been able to keep our composure and trust the process in pressure situations has been incredible."
The Warriors would drop the first game of the day to the Royals as they came out the gate with four runs on five hits to take the early lead and maintain through the 9-inning outing.
Will Law led the Warriors going 2-for-4 with a home run and a pair of RBI's. Starting on the mound was
Micah Gunter who received his first loss of the season, now 6-1 starting for the Warriors.
Game two would see another early lead by the visiting Royals as they posted a trio of runs in the first frame. The Warriors were able to answer back in the bottom of the second as the designated hitter,
Grant St. Martin stepped up to the plate for the first time today knocking a two-run homer to left center to chip away at the lead.
But the Royals would answer those two runs to take a 5-2 lead, Jessup able to gain one back in the bottom of the third, but it wouldn't be until the fourth inning where the Warrior would even the score. A lead-off homer for
Austen Swift would get the Warriors within one as
Kawaiola Takemura pushed the tying run across with an RBI single up the middle.
The two-run lead for the Royals would be plated in the final inning of regulation with a two-RBI double.
In the Warrior's last-chance inning, two outs on the board,
Joe Starick would get the rally started with a single and
Jordan Williams would reach on a walk. A double by
Anders Green would get the job done as the Warriors tied it up, 7-7 and forced extra innings.
In the bottom of the ninth, Green would get another clutch hit with two outs and two strikes as senior Swift stepped up to the plate for what would be his last time in the box at McBean Park. Swift would hit his second homer of the game and send the Warriors home winners in the 2-run walk-off victory, 9-7 over the Royals.
"To win a game like that you need to get contributions from lots of different guys," Paine went on to comment on the team effort to get the win, "
Grant Doi was great out of the bullpen, while
Steven Talbert came in to throw two scoreless innings in extras. At the plate,
Anders Green not only tied the game in the bottom of the 7th but was able to extend the inning with a two-strike hit to bring Swift to the plate. It was a culmination of things that put us in a position to win that game."
With a single series left in the regular season, the Warriors clinch their appearance in their second-straight GSAC Championship with the regular-season title still within reach. Jessup will travel to Vanguard University for a four-game series branching over Wednesday and Thursday next week.
"We have done a good job in these last couple weeks of gaining some ground in the standings," Paine commented. "We are in a spot where we control our destiny so we just need to focus on continuing to execute. It will take good outings on the mound, clean defense and quality at-bats throughout the order."
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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) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter & Instagram).
