LINCOLN, Calif. – The ten-game homestand Jessup starts the season on continued Friday as the Owls of Oregon Tech make their annual visit to McBean Park. Jessup's bats put on a clinic in game one, and it looked to continue in game two until one bad inning forced Jessup to go home with a split.
Head coach
Trevor Paine said after game two that he was happy with how his players responded this week after dropping a series a week ago. "On Monday, we went through a whole list of things that I thought we could do better. I actually think a lot of those things we addressed, we worked on, and we improved on today."
Before any baseball would be played, the two teams had to battle mother nature as rain swept over Lincoln. A 38-minute rain delay pushed back the first pitch, ultimately setting up for a finish under the McBean lights.
Even with the cold and damp weather, the ball was jumping. Jessup launched four home runs in game one, two of which may still be in the air.
The first moonshot came courtesy of Chris Lopez, as the lefty pulled one deep into the houses in right field. Two batters later, Chris Cook hit his first homer of the season, a wall-scrapper that barely edged over the fence in right-center.
Dylan Cole sent one over the wall in left in the third inning, a three-run shot that tied the game at five. Cole had quite the day, going 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, and five RBI.
Jessup's third blast came off the bat of Brennan Rozell, a mammoth blast into the parking lot behind the left-field storage unit. Rozell ended game one 2-for-3 with five RBI and three runs scored.
Cook also dominated at the dish, finishing 4-for-4 with three RBI. He finished a triple shy of the cycle.
On Cook's day, Paine added, "He came out ready to swing today. He looked good all week in BP, and looked good in his live at bats, so I knew he could offer something a litter bit different. Getting another left-handed bat with some power in the lineup kind of gave us a chance to play for the big innings."
Left-hander
Max Moreno got the starting nod, and after his pitch count ran up, Paine made to call to the bullpen after just 2.2 innings of work.
Caleb Markwith then proceeded to toss 4.1 innings, allowing one run as he earned his first victory of the year.
The Warriors continued to light up the Owls' pitching in game two, as a four-run second inning looked to set the stage for another big day.
Dirk Ryan started the rally with a double down the left-field line, plating two.
Ryan would then score on
Dustin McElwain's single, who then scored on a single from Drew Andrews.
The 4-0 lead held until the top of the fifth, as it was here that the dam broke. Oregon Tech finally got to pitcher Trevor Anston as they played six runs in the inning, setting the score at its eventual final of 6-4.
On Arnston, Paine added, "Trevor was really good. He was efficient, going right after guys. Just too many free bases in one inning. We made an error, then walked a couple of guys. That's kind of the difference there."
Jessup would send the potential game-winning run to the plate in the final inning, but the rally ended on a strikeout.
Arnston suffered the loss after 4.1 innings of work.
Preston Brook and
Joey Miller would pitch the remainder of the evening in relief.
The Warriors will aim to bounce back tomorrow and hopefully win a series as the two sides return to the field for another doubleheader at 11 a.m.
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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).
