LINCOLN, Calif. – Back on home turf was the Warriors Friday as the 2023 home opener took place at Wilson Park against the University of Antelope Valley. On a day where rain had the possibility of games even being played in doubt, Jessup took full advantage of the opportunity to get on the diamond as they swept the Pioneers to move to 4-0.
Pitching was one of the main highlights of the day. The Warriors looked to their ace,
Katie Blankenheim, in game one. Blankenheim had another stellar outing, surrendering one run on four hits over five innings of work.
Bella MacFarlane pitched a scoreless sixth inning in relief.
Game two saw the pitching staff continue to dominate, as
Terra Goetz bounced back from a rough outing on Wednesday, pitching five shutout frames.
Serena Navarrete would allow one run on two hits over her two innings of work.
On her pitchers, head coach
Brie Campbell said, "I think Katie and Terra just continue to show their leadership with their confidence in the circle, and just continuing to take their starts and doing with them what they need to get their team ahead. And then understanding they have people behind them that are going to come in and shut it down.
The Warriors had the bats working in game one, starting in the first inning, as
Aaliyah Pineda continued her hot start with a three-run triple.
Two innings later,
Sam Lorge clubbed home run number one of the season, a moonshot to left that set the score at 5-1. Lorge's power did not stop there, as she smacked another home run later in the evening as part of Jessup's game two victory.
On Lorge, Campbell added, "Sam struggled a little bit in our first game this week on Wednesday, but she came out here knowing that she needed to fix a couple of things. And that's where her maturity just shows."
"The velocity coming off her bat is probably anywhere from 80 to 90 miles an hour, which I mean even a ground ball coming at someone is going to be something intimidating."
The power didn't stop with Lorge, as newcomer
Sarah Giles hit her second bomb of the season, a two-run shot in the sixth that came two innings after a two-run double from Giles. At 10-1, game one was called early in the sixth inning.
In game two, Jessup got off to a slow start, being hitless through two, but then
Kaylee Winn stepped up with the momentum-changing hit. Winn tripled down the right-field line, driving in two to spark a four-run third inning.
Now 4-0 to start the season, Jessup prepares for a busy ahead against some of the top teams in the NAIA.
"We get out first look at some ranked opponents this week," added Campbell. "This will be a really important test for us early in the season."
Bushnell comes to Lincoln on Wednesday. After that, Jessup hosts Corban and No. 13 College of Idaho as part of a round-robin over the weekend.
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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).
