LINCOLN, Calif. – The magic number sat at two coming into Saturday, as the Warriors were within striking distance of their first GSAC Championship. On a Senior Day to remember, Jessup pieced together two comebacks to spark a historic day for the program.
What the Warriors needed to happen on Saturday was simple. For a conference title to be captured, Jessup would require a combination of either two wins or two Vanguard losses. Vanguard was not scheduled to play until 4 p.m., so Jessup took matters into their own hands.
"Execution," head coach
Brie Campbell said, was the key to Jessup sweeping the day. "This team continues to work hard to make it happen when it matters. It was an all-around great team pair of wins today!"
Katie Blankenheim entered the circle for game one, and in typical Blankenheim fashion, she was marvelous. Blankenheim picked up her 15th win of the season after a complete game where she allowed just one run on two hits.
ACU got on the board first with an RBI double. It could have been a triple, but a great relay from
Maddy Ybarra and
Natalie Nash gunned down the runner at third. The Warriors quickly answered by actually getting a triple as catcher
Aaliyah Pineda drove in two runs with her big hit to right-center.
An insurance run off the bat of
Natalie Nash, an RBI double to plate
Sam Lorge, gave Jessup all they needed in a 3-1 victory.
Needing one more win to capture the conference, Jessup again got behind early as the Firestorm plated two in the first. A sacrifice fly from
Kaela Hangebrauck trimmed the deficit to one, but back came ACU with two more in the third.
The Warriors started to rally in the bottom of the third, beginning with an odd play that saw Ybarra lay down a bunt that got her all the way to third on an ACU throwing error. Hangebruack then drove in Ybarra for the second time, cutting the score to 4-3.
Lorge evened the score at four with a big double to left-center. One batter later, Lorge would score as
Kaylee Winn drove in what was the eventual winning run.
Shay Trent would add an insurance run in the sixth, giving Jessup a 6-4 advantage.
Earning the victory in the conference clinching game was
Terra Goetz. Goetz tossed four shutout innings in relief, striking out four in the process.
It's the first GSAC Championship in Jessup Softball history. On top of the conference title, the Warriors have also clinched the top seed in the GSAC Tournament, along with a first-round bye.
"We have accomplished so much as a team, but we're nowhere near done yet," added Campbell, who is in her third year leading the program. "We are excited to continue to work hard to accomplish our postseason goals."
The Warriors will celebrate the title today, but it's back to work early next week as there are still two games in the season. Jessup will be in Atherton on Tuesday to wrap up the regular season against Menlo College. The 2022 GSAC Tournament begins May 3 from OC Great Park in Irvine.
***
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).
