LINCOLN, Calif. - After dropping three-of-four against then No. 13 ranked Westmont College last weekend, the Warriors welcomed another ranked opponent to McBean Park on Friday in the No. 10 ranked Hope International Royals. After leading early in game one, the Warriors were outscored 7-1 over the final ten innings en route to two losses.
 
"We ran into two really good pitchers today," said Head Coach Trevor Paine. "We did a good job in game one of giving ourselves a chance to win that game but came up a little short."
 
Taking the ball in game one was Jessup's ace Danny Chavez. Looking strong early on, Chavez was ultimately touched up in the seventh as the Royals plated three runs, two of which were credited to Chavez after reliever Nolan Murphy replaced him. 
 
Chavez finished with a final line of 6.2 IP, allowing five runs, six hits, one walk, and four hit batsmen. 
 
Trailing 2-0 in the fourth, the Warriors got on the board as Mike Shoenberger launched his seventh home run of the season, a solo blast. Jessup took the lead in the fifth as Connor Franco drove in a run with a double down the line in left, followed by an RBI single from Kevin Jordan Jr.
 
Down once again after the HIU rally in the seventh, Jessup tacked on a run in the bottom half to make it 5-4, but they would strand the bases loaded. The Royals scored runs in each of the final three innings to take game one 8-4.
 
Game two was controlled by the bats of the Royals. After being hit by two pitches in game one, HIU's Domenic Donato launched solo home runs in his first two at-bats of game two, putting his team ahead 2-0. The Royals hit another solo shot in the seventh off the bat of leadoff hitter Tony Monroy.
 
Max Moreno got the start in Jessup's 4-0 game two loss. Moreno lasted five innings before handing the ball to Brett Wetteland. 
 
On what went wrong in game two, Paine noted, "We just couldn't come up with the big hit. If we can string some good innings together tomorrow offensively and continue to get quality innings on the mound that will go a long way."
 
A positive sign on the diamond Friday was the return of several familiar faces who have been missing due to injury. Having not played since February 26, senior Kawaiola Takemura returned to the lineup. Junior Max Modeste also returned to the lineup, having not played since February 27.
 
Jessup and Hope International will wrap up this four-game series with yet another doubleheader at McBean Park. First pitch of Saturday's duo of GSAC games is slated for 11 a.m.
   
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 and Instagram).