LANCASTER, Calif. – The 2022 season hit the road for the first time as the Warriors stepped onto the diamond Friday in Lancaster. Beginning a three-game series with the Antelope Valley Pioneers, the Warriors relied on pitching and late-game heroics as they picked up a 4-3 win.
"Today was a great team win with contributions from lots of different guys," said head coach
Trevor Paine after the game. "I was very proud of our hitters the way they competed in the box and grinded out at bats."
With his second strong performance out of the bullpen,
Shawn Roberts earned the win after tossing 2.2 innings of shutout ball. Roberts allowed just one walk and hit to the nine batters he faced.
The Warriors looked like they were going to start an early rally as they loaded the bases in the first with just one out. However, the rally was quickly diminished, as a called strike three and a routine ground ball stranded the runners.
UAV made matters worse as they took a 1-0 lead on a bang-bang play at the plate in the bottom half of the inning.
Jessup pieced together another rally in the fifth, starting with
Nicholas Hadd's two-out double. The next batter,
Kawaiola Takemura, drove him in with an RBI single.
Kevin Gutierrez then gave Jessup the lead with an RBI single of his own, plating Takemura.
After a shutdown inning in the bottom of the fifth, the Pioneers came back in the last of the sixth, striking for two to retake the lead.
Down to their final chance, the Warriors' patience was rewarded as three straight walks once again loaded the bases, this time with nobody out in the top of the ninth. The tying run scored on walk number four, as Gutierrez picked up his second RBI of the day. The winning run came via a blooper down the right-field line from
Dustin McElwain, driving home Hadd.
Marlin Brucato closed the door in the ninth, allowing just one hit while striking out a batter for his first save of the season.
Max Moreno got the starting nod in this one. The lefty looked good in his 2.1 innings of work before leaving the game due to an injury.
Chase Marcoe held the game together with 2.2 innings of shutout relief work.
Paine talked about the combined effort of his bullpen, adding, "We got really nice outings from Marcoe and Roberts out of the bullpen in a game we had to piece together. UAV is a really tough opponent, so to win a game like that on the road is always a great accomplishment. We need to roll that momentum into tomorrow and play 16 good innings"
The Warriors and Pioneers will hit the diamond bright and early tomorrow morning as they wrap up the series with a 10:30 a.m. first pitch. It will be a doubleheader, with the series finale coming 30 minutes after the end of Saturday's opener.
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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).
