LINCOLN, Calif. – It was a perfect day for softball on Saturday, as sunny skies and warm weather painted a perfect setting for Jessup to take on the Vanguard Lions. The day set up to be a carbon copy of Friday's action as pitching stole the show in game one before an offensive outburst by Jessup brought game two to an early end.
"We have a lot of talent on this team," head coach
Brie Campbell said after game two. "We just have to find a way to come out strong and keep consistent for two games."
Game one saw a back-and-forth pitcher's duel as Jessup's
Katie Blankenheim went toe-to-toe with Vanguard's Brianna Williams. The last time these two arms met saw a scoreless game enter extra innings.
Saturday was again a low-scoring affair, with unearned runs being the enemy of both pitchers. Blankenheim got tagged with an unearned run in the first as an error allowed the first run of the game to score. Vanguard would later tack on two more in the third.
Jessup got their two runs, both unearned, on
Sarah Giles' two-run single in the fifth. The Warriors tried to rally late and set up a scenario for
Sam Lorge to launch a walk-off for the second game in a row, but as the potential winning run, Lorge was stranded on deck in the seventh.
Blankenheim gets handed the loss after allowing three runs (two earned) over seven innings. Williams gets the win after a complete game in which she allowed two runs (none earned) on five hits.
Now, for the second day in a row, Jessup entered game two needing to split.
The Warriors struck first for the second day in a row in game two as an error allowed a run to score in the first.
Aaliyah Pineda continued the first-inning scoring as she drove in two with a single through the right side.
After a Vanguard run in the third, the Warriors struck again as
Bailey Reid launched one over the head of the right fielder, ending in a triple that scored Pineda from first. Pineda continued her big day by driving in a run in the fourth to put the Warriors ahead by five.
Vanguard got a run back in the top of the fifth, forcing the Warriors to score four in the bottom half if they wanted to end the game in five for the second day in a row.
Kaylee Winn answered the call first, singling to left field as
Hannah Aguilar scored from second.
Two batters later, Lorge stepped to the plate, looking to hit another home run to end game two early. With the bases loaded, Lorge worked the count full before crushing a ball over the fence as her grand slam sent the Jessup bench sprinting to home plate.
Lorge has now hit ten home runs this season which is tops in the GSAC.
Terra Goetz earned the victory in game two, improving to 10-3 this season. Goetz allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits over five innings of work.
Campbell spoke about her pitching staff, adding, "Our pitching staff continues to keep us in games. Another outstanding outing from Katie and Terra today."
On top of the action on the field Saturday, a highlight moment took place before game one as the Warriors held their senior day ceremony.
Paige Hall, the lone graduating senior, was honored by her family and teammates with an on-field ceremony.
The Warriors (22-17, 9-8 GSAC) remain in fourth place as they enter the weekend. While six conference games still remain, one area hurting the Warriors is that they have played one less game than the rest of the field. The Warriors were rained out back in March against OUAZ, and that game was never made up.
Vanguard (10-8 GSAC) and ACU (10-8 GSAC), two teams the Warriors split their season series with, both hold a half-game lead on Jessup for second and third.
"As we settle down to the final stretch, we are confident that we'll continue to compete in this very competitive conference for an opportunity at a GSAC Championship appearance," concluded Campbell.
Jessup will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Atherton for a date with the Menlo Oaks. Menlo is coming off a split with Hope International on Saturday as the Oaks took game one before dropping game two in extra innings.
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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).
