SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Looking to climb up the standings of the GSAC West, Jessup entered day two at Westmont College with hopes of taking the series. After splitting on Tuesday, the Warriors got off to a hot start with a game one win, but the day ended with another split as Westmont controlled game two.
 
On the split, Head Coach Trevor Paine said postgame, "You will always take a split on the road, especially against a good team like Westmont. I think it is something you can build off, but we will have our hands full next weekend."
 
Westmont jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third when Simon Reid tagged Danny Chavez for a two-run home run. Looing to deny a shutdown inning, Mike Shoenberger led off the fourth with a double and was later brought home on an RBI single from Joseph Luevano. Jessup took the lead as Kevin Gutierrez plated two on a two-out single.
 
Jessup quickly added to their lead as Kawaiola Takemura led off the fifth with a solo blast. A wild pitch and an RBI groundout later, and the Warriors sat on top, 6-2.
 
Leading 6-3 in the eighth, Jessup took advantage at the plate as Westmont combined for five walks in the inning, three of which came with the bases loaded. The free passes allowed the Warriors to tack on three late insurance runs.
 
Westmont would score two in the bottom of the ninth, but a comeback was not in the cards as Jessup took the opener, 9-5.
 
Chavez produced six strong innings on the mound, earning his third victory of the season. In relief, Ricardo Torres Jr. pitched the final three innings
 
In game two, it was the top of the order for Westmont that plagued Jessup, beginning in the second. After Daniel Netz hit a solo home run to put Westmont ahead 1-0, leadoff hitter John Jensen hit a three-run homer to push the lead to 4-0.
 
Heading to the fourth, Westmont's top of the order struck again. Jensen hit his second home run of the game, a solo shot, to make it 5-0. On the very next pitch, Alex Stufft hit a solo home run of his own. Moving to the number-three hitter, Simon Reid, Reid would sit on a pitch before hitting the second pitch of his at-bat out of the ballpark as well.
 
On attacking the top of the order, Paine stated, "We didn't do a very good job of pitching the top of their order. We were falling behind quite a bit to them, and good hitters love hitting with count leverage. Credit to them they were disciplined and took advantage of being in hitters counts."
 
The back-to-back-to-back home runs put Westmont firmly ahead 7-0. But not wanting to be denied offense of their own, Gutierrez came to the plate in the fifth and hit a two-run home run to put Jessup on the board.
 
Westmont tacked on an insurance run in the sixth, setting the score at the game two final, 8-2.
 
The biggest highlight of the series for Jessup was the bat of Shoenberger. During the four-game series, Shoenberger went 8-for-14, scoring three runs, including a solo home run in game one.
 
"Mike had a great series," added Paine on the continued success at the plate by Shoenberger. "He was consistently putting together good at-bats. He's been a huge contributor for us all season."
 
Another bright-spot, Gutierrez, went just 3-for-10 in the batter's box, but he did drive in five of Jessup's 17 runs.
 
The Warriors drop to 9-11 in GSAC play this season, sitting six games behind the conference-leading Vanguard Lions. Those very Lions will make their way to McBean Park next weekend, as the four-game series begins Friday, April 9, at 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).