LINCOLN, Calif. – With the regular season finale creeping up, Jessup returned to their home diamond on Friday for two important games against Hope International. Facing a dominating performance in the circle during game one, the Warriors regrouped, ending game two early thanks to an offensive onslaught.
The Royals, who entered Friday ranked No. 24 in the nation, also hold first place in the GSAC standings. With eight GSAC games remaining in the regular season, Jessup's 8-7 GSAC record has them sitting in fourth place.
Game one saw the Warriors go up against Hope International's Allie Puente. Sporting a 0.59 ERA entering Friday, Puente tossed a complete game shutout, holding the Warriors to just three hits. Puente also struck out a dozen Warriors while walking none.
Opposing her was
Katie Blankenheim who lasted four innings before turning the ball to
Serena Navarrete. Blankenheim surrendered two runs on five hits, striking out three.
Of the three hits the Warriors pieced together in the 4-0 loss, two came from shortstop
Karlie Bilbrey. In two appearances against Puente, Bilbrey has gone 5-for-5 at the dish.
Needing a bounce-back performance in game two, the Warriors struck early with a four spot in the first inning.
Aaliyah Pineda drove in the first run with an RBI single up the middle. A series of errors then allowed two more runs to score.
The highlight play of the inning came on a successful triple steal as
Bailey Reid slid home to make it 4-0.
Jessup added a fifth run in the fourth as Pineda's sacrifice fly put them ahead 5-0.
Needing three runs in the fifth to end the game early, Jessup started the rally on a fielder's choice, plating Reid.
Olivia Dominguez continued the rally with a double to left-center, setting up a scenario for
Sam Lorge to bring her home as the final run of the game.
Lorge had a better idea, launching a 1-1 pitch over the left field fence to cap off a 9-0 victory with a walk-off blast.
Terra Goetz earned the victory in game two after five scoreless frames in the circle. Goetz struck out two while allowing six hits.
Jessup will be back in action tomorrow, taking on another formidable foe in the likes of Vanguard. In their previous meeting down in Costa Mesa, the two sides split as both contests saw a scoreless tie through seven, forcing extra innings.
Tomorrow will also be senior day, as Jessup will be honoring just one graduating senior (
Paige Hall) with a pregame ceremony.
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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).
