SURPRISE, Ariz. – With sunny Arizona skies setting for a perfect backdrop to Friday's game, the Warriors took on OUAZ on a day where not only was the weather polar-opposite from their last meeting but so were the score lines. With pitching dominating both games, each team earned a shutout victory as Jessup and OUAZ split.
Friday was the second meeting between the Warriors and Spirit. Jessup won the first battle on a rainy day in Rocklin. The two still need to make up a game, as rain forced their second contest to be postponed.
Game one on Friday was controlled by OUAZ's Alexandra McCutcheon, as she held the Warriors to a zero in the run column over seven innings. McCutchen surrendered just three hits while walking none and striking out seven batters.
On the opposite end,
Katie Blankenheim got roughed up early as five runs crossed home in the bottom of the first. The five runs from OUAZ would be all that would find the scoreboard, as the Spirit took the game, 5-0.
Blankenheim lasted three innings before Jessup turned to
Serena Navarrete for three shutout frames. Navarrete allowed just one hit.
What transpired in game two was a stark difference from the opener, as this time, Jessup dominated in the early going. A four-run first inning had the Warriors off and running, starting with a two-run single from
Sarah Giles.
Giles continued her day in the third with a two-run home run. The next batter,
Aaliyah Pineda, left the yard as well as Jessup went back-to-back. It was all part of a seven-run third inning that also included extra-base hits from
Bailey Reid (triple),
Kaylee Winn (double), and
Sam Lorge (double).
Jessup's third homer of the game came off the bat of Winn in the fifth. Reid later added a sacrifice fly in the inning, but she needed to hit the Warriors' fourth homer of the game to reach the cycle.
Terra Goetz tossed her second shutout of the season against the Spirit, giving up three hits over four innings.
Bella MacFarlane tossed a scoreless inning in relief.
The Warriors will continue in Arizona tomorrow, taking on Arizona Christian University from Glendale. Jessup and ACU split earlier this season. Saturday's action is scheduled to begin at 10:30 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).
