LINCOLN, Calif. – When the Warriors needed to be clutch, they found a way to be clutch on Saturday. Hoping to avoid being swept after losing the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, Jessup mounted an incredible late-inning comeback to win the ballgame in style.
 
By splitting with the visiting Arizona Christian Firestorm, Jessup moves to 9-15 within the GSAC, placing them in a tie with The Master's for the final spot in the GSAC Tournament.
 
The day began with ACU posting three runs in the top of the first inning, but it would not be long before Jessup mounted their first comeback of the day. Connor Franco started the scoring with a towering two-run shot to right. He then drove in his third run of the game on an RBI single in the fourth.
 
Jessup took their first lead of the day on Jaisten Cabatbat's sacrifice fly, but back came the Firestorm with a five-run fifth inning.
 
Jessup responded with a five-run outburst of their own, capped off by a pinch-hit three-run homer from Dirk Ryan and an RBI triple from Cabatbat.
 
Marlin Brucato would ultimately suffer a loss, as he surrendered five runs over the game's final three innings as the Firestorm took the opener, 12-10.
 
Game two got off to another rocky start, as the Firestorm tagged Max Moreno for two runs in the first inning. Moreno would settle down, as he ended up tossing 6.2 innings while striking out a career-high 11 batters.
 
Kayde Iranon got the Warriors on the board with a sac fly in the second, but the score held there until the sixth.
 
That's when the Warriors struck, starting with a stand-up triple by Kevin Gutierrez to tie the game. Jorge Perez then gave the Warriors the lead on a sacrifice fly to plate Gutierrez.
 
But the Firestorm did not go quietly into the night, scoring two in the seventh to retake the lead.
 
Down to their final three outs, Jessup staged another comeback. With two on and two outs, Kawaiola Takermura tied the game at three with his RBI single into right field. Next up came Gutierrez, but the Firestorm chose to intentionally walk him, loading the bases for Perez.
 
It was a bad idea.
 
Perez made ACU pay as he roped a line drive into center field that fell to the ground, scoring Connor Lane from third and sending the Jessup dugout into a frenzy.
 
Brucato got his win back in game two, as he went down as the winning pitcher after just 0.1 innings of work. He is now 4-4 on the campaign.
 
Jessup will get back to work next weekend as they host the final home series of the season. The Vanguard Lions will be in town for a four-game set starting on Friday, with Senior Day taking place Saturday at McBean Park.
   
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).