LINCOLN, Calif. – After a day Friday many of the Warriors will hope to forget, Jessup was back on the diamond on Saturday, taking on the same two opponents from the Cascade Collegiate Conference. Sparked by an offensive outburst in game two, the highlight of the day came in the circle as a freshman tossed a gem to wrap up a perfect day.
Head coach
Brie Campbell spoke after the win, stating, "This team has been going through a lot this past week mentally. There's been a lot of internal things happening with the team, and it shook them up a little bit. I think this was an opportunity for them to say, 'okay, hey, we're all here. We all support each other.' And the best way that we can do that is to come back out and prove the kind of team that we are."
Supporting her team was freshman
Bella MacFarlane, as she earned her collegiate start in game two against No. 19 ranked Eastern Oregon. The outing got off to a rough start as a bunt single to the leadoff hitter led to a run as a throwing error allowed EOU to start with a runner in scoring position.
But that was the only hit MacFarlane allowed. She tossed a complete game, allowing one run (unearned) on one hit, striking out four in the process.
"Bella definitely showed maturity in being able to come out and throw a complete game in the first start of her collegiate career," added Campbell. "She showed a lot of composure to pitch the complete game and also come up huge for us defensively."
Run support for the one-hitter came in the fourth inning when
Sam Lorge lined an RBI double down the left-field line. Two batters later, Lorge was crossing home on a bloop single from
Aaliyah Pineda.
Lorge was red hot for the Warriors Friday, starting in Jessup's 8-2 victory over Northwest to start the afternoon.
Entering the day tied for the team lead in home runs, Lorge blasted her third homer of the season in the second inning, a towering shot over the wall in center. Leading 7-2 entering the sixth, Lorge left the yard again, this time on a hard liner to left-center.
On Lorge, Campbell added, "I think Sam is going to continue to grow. She was struggling a little bit, but as she continues to see more pitchers, she's gonna get better, and today was just her day. She made the adjustments she needed to, and she got the hits that we needed, you know, at monumental times."
Terra Goetz earned the victory in game one, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits over five innings of work.
The Warriors will be back in action next week as they hit the road for the first time. Jessup will be in Claremont on Friday to take on Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Saint Katherine.
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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 Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter & Instagram).
