FULLERTON, Calif. – (RV) Jessup softball was back on the field Friday afternoon for a doubleheader against Hope International. The Warriors beat the heat and the competition, picking up their fourth and fifth wins in a row to sweep the Royals for the season.
 
Jessup found itself in a pitcher's duel in the first game of the day, as both starting pitchers went the full seven innings. Katie Blankenheim continued her recent hot streak, picking up her eleventh winning decision of the season. The sophomore allowed three runs, two earned, on nine hits while striking out two.
 
Head coach Brie Campbell offered praise for her ace, noting that "Katie was great all day and pitched herself out of trouble to close it out."
 
Jessup's bats came alive late in the game, as Kaela Hangebrauck hit a solo home run to give the Warriors a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh. Jessup added two more, taking advantage of some costly Hope International errors to make it 4-1. The Royals threatened a comeback by adding two in the bottom of the seventh, but Jessup closed the door to take the game 4-3.
 
"We grinded out our ABs against one of the best pitchers in the league, and I was proud of our girls with how we got to her late," said Cambell.
 
Both teams started game two scoreless through the first two innings, but Jessup struck first with two in the top of the third. The runs came from a pair of RBI singles by Hailey Hiett and Kaela Hangebrauck. Natalie Nash then blew the game wide open in the fifth with a grand slam to extend the Warrior lead to six. 
 
Hope International got one back in the bottom of the fifth but couldn't get the bats going as Jessup took home the 6-1 victory. With the win, the Warriors secured a regular-season sweep of the Royals.
 
"Hitters did a great job executing at a high level, and Natalie Nash came up with the big swing with a grand slam in the fourth," said Campbell. "MaiKyla (Nelson) and Terra (Goetz) were great in the circle, forcing contact and letting our defense make plays behind them."
 
Nelson earned her eleventh win of the season as well, pitching four shutout innings and allowing just one hit. Goetz entered in relief in the fifth, allowing one run on five hits to preserve the win.
 
Jessup has a crucial matchup tomorrow against the second-place team in the GSAC in (RV) Vanguard. The Warriors currently have a 3 game lead over the Lions in the conference standings with eight conference games left on the schedule.
 
Campbell emphasized the importance of tomorrow's doubleheader, noting that "tomorrow's games are big, and we would love to close the weekend out strong against a quality Vanguard team."
 
Jessup and Vanguard split in their first meeting in Lincoln a few weeks ago.  
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).