LINCOLN, Calif. – Coming off of a series split at RV Westmont last week, the Jessup baseball team returned home for a series rematch with No. 6 Vanguard. Game one saw the Warriors gain their first win of the season series against the Lions thanks to excellent pitching from Brad Jones and Marlin Brucato.
 
In six innings, Jones (3-1) allowed only four hits and two earned runs while striking out six batters. Brucato followed with three innings of relief, giving up only one hit and no runs, earning his seventh save this season, as Jessup prevailed 5-2.
 
Head Coach Trevor Paine commented on the game one pitching, saying, "Brad did a really good job of getting ahead of hitters and going right at them. Marlin did the same thing pitching with the lead, and was able to land his breaking ball. Neutralizing a really good-hitting Vanguard team and holding them to only two runs is outstanding."
 
Game one was scoreless until the fourth inning when Vanguard tacked on two runs. The Warriors pulled within one run in the fifth as Jacob Gribbin scored on a Jay Luevano RBI single.
 
Then in the sixth, Gribbin walked with the bases loaded, bringing home Mike Shoenberger to tie the score at two. Later that inning, Kevin Gutierrez proceeded to slap a double to left-center field, scoring two runs, and Gribbin scored on an error to give Jessup a 5-2 advantage. This score would last the rest of the way, and the Warriors emerged victorious.
 
As opposed to the lights-out pitching for both teams early in the opening contest, game two began with the Warriors getting on the board in the first inning as Jordan Yu drove in Kawaiola Takemura with an RBI single.
 
Jessup held an early 1-0 lead, but it wouldn't last long as Vanguard posted a crooked number in the second inning. When the dust settled, the Warriors found themselves in an uphill battle down 9-1.
 
Despite the steep deficit, Jessup remained resilient and would rally in the third inning to cut the deficit to four thanks to a Shoenberger RBI double, a Yu RBI single, and a Luevano double that bagged two Warriors.
 
Still, Vanguard wouldn't relent as they tacked on two runs in the top of the fifth to stretch their lead to seven, 11-5. Gribbin countered in the bottom half of the same inning with a two-run homer to center field, and Jessup came within four runs again.
 
Vanguard added another two runs in the sixth inning, and Jessup matched in the bottom of the seventh, but it was too little, too late as the Warriors fell, 13-9.
 
Coach Paine commented on adjustments for the remaining two games of the series, saying, "We just need to throw more strikes as we didn't do a good job in game two of getting ahead. I like the way we took at-bats in game two against a good arm, so hopefully, we can carry that into tomorrow."
 
The Warriors have a chance to win the series Saturday against the Lions, with game one of the doubleheader scheduled for 11 am.
   
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).