LINCOLN, Calif. –  Jessup Softball concluded their home slate of games for the regular season with a day-two split against the San Diego Christian Hawks. Overall, the Warriors took the series three games to one, putting their record at 17-19 (10-9 GSAC), and the Hawks record now stands at 10-24 (3-19 GSAC).
 
Head coach Brie Campbell praised her team, saying, "They showed a lot of endurance coming off a ten-day break and adversity playing without their whole team for four games. Instead of asking 'why?', this team stepped up and came out to play."
 
After a scoreless opening inning to the day's action, it was the Hawks on the board first as they put up three runs in the second inning after loading the bases. The Warrior defense then buckled down and kept the Hawks scoreless over the next three innings.
 
Offensively, Jessup began to chip away at the deficit. In the third inning, Natalie Basaldua reached on a fielder's choice allowing Haley Chaboya to cross the plate. Kaela Hangebrauck led things off in the fourth and recorded a triple but scored on the play due to fielding errors by the Hawks.
 
The Warriors were able to tie the game in the fifth inning, with Basaldua coming up with a clutch RBI-double, scoring Seli Aholelei. Unfortunately, the Hawks got back in rhythm with a two-out double that scored three runs in the sixth. Jessup attempted to rally but fell short, only adding one more run to their totals in the sixth inning.
 
Game two began inauspiciously with the Hawks lead-off hitter reaching second on a double but then subsequently scoring off Jessup fielding errors. With no more damage being done in the frame, the Warriors got right to work, posting five runs in the bottom of the first.
 
The Hawks came clawing back as they strung together three runs of their own in the second, coming within one run as Jessup led, 5-4. The momentum was short-lived for San Diego as Seli Aholelei extended with Warriors lead with a double to right-center that scored a pair of runs giving Jessup a 7-4 advantage through two innings.
 
Shay Trent got the third inning going for Jessup with a base hit, then stole second. Auzzie Najar-Meza then had a productive out sending a fly ball to left field that advanced Trent to third. Sam Lorge then brought Trent home with a base hit down the left side putting the Warriors up 8-4.
 
Jessup then got four consecutive base hits to begin the fourth inning, which resulted in two more runs crossing the plate. Holding a 10-4 advantage in the fifth inning, the Warriors continued to add runs, with Lorge reaching on a ground-rule double, scoring Emma McConville. Lorge was the final run to be had as Aholelei wrapped up game two by singling to center field, with the run-rule coming into effect as the Warriors won 12-4.

Being down several people, Jessup had to rely on players to take the field in new areas. In game two, Basaldua earned the win as she started for the first time, and it was Aholelei who started game one and finished game two in the circle. Campbell loved seeing their effort, saying, "I couldn't ask for a better outing from our small pitching staff this series."
 
The Warriors will now head to Fullerton for their final regular-season series of the season as they'll play Hope International beginning on April 29 at noon.
   
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).