LINCOLN, Calif. – The path to the postseason for Jessup entering Tuesday, albeit simple, was not easy. Jessup entered Tuesday needing a sweep of the Menlo Oaks as the two teams battled it out in Lincoln with the final spot in the GSAC Tournament on the line.
"Going into today, it was easy, get back to who we are, if that business was taken care of, the wins would come," and that they did Coach
Brie Campbell said.
Jessup came into Tuesday sitting in sixth across the conference standings. With six teams in action across the GSAC, the final seeding was nowhere near to a confirmation as outcomes across the conference could have moved the Warriors as high as the 3-seed. To do so, the Warriors will need to not only sweep the Oaks but also have Hope International sweep their doubleheader with Vanguard.
The first piece of the puzzle fell into place as HIU took care of business at home, ending Vanguard's GSAC regular season at 11-13.
Jessup struck for three runs in the second inning of game one, with two scoring on
Karlie Bilbrey's two-run single. Bilbrey later scored on an RBI single from
Lexi Watson. Bilbrey, who went 2-for-3 in game one, played a role in each Jessup run as she added an RBI single in the sixth.
The Warriors went with a pitcher-by-committee approach in game one, starting with
Bella MacFarlane, who tossed two scoreless innings.
Terra Goetz followed, allowing two runs as the Oaks got to Goetz in the third.
Jessup's final arm of game one was
Serena Navarrete. The right-hander recorded the final 12 outs of the game, all via groundouts, as she earned the four-inning save.
"We knew our biggest threat was not one but all our pitchers," Campbell said, "It was teamwork in the circle today and each on played an integral role in keeping the game small."
The game one victory set up a traditional elimination style contest, as the winner of game two would advance to the postseason, while the loser went home.
Jessup struck first in game two, coming off an odd play as
Sarah Giles grounded one between the legs of Menlo's shortstop Emma Medina. The error allowed
Sam Lorge to race home all the way from first, putting the Warriors ahead 1-0.
Two innings later, Jessup scored in identical fashion, this time off the bat of Lorge as another groundball went through Medina's legs, this time scoring
Kaylee Winn from first. Jessup would add a third run on a Giles groundout.
Jessup scored four runs across three innings, each set up by the top of the order. Each inning the Warriors tacked on a run began with leadoff hitter
Lexi Watson starting off the inning.
Katie Blankenheim got the ball in game two and proceeded to pitch five excellent innings. The only blemish came with the bases loaded in the fifth when the Warriors were saved by a ball bouncing over the wall as a ground-rule double negated what likely would have seen the tying run score from first.
Jessup went back to Navarrete to close the door for the final six outs, and she did just that, ending the game in style by striking out the side.
"Reene was lights out for us today, Katie did a phenomenal job across five innings and Serena gave us our best chance shutting the final two innings down for the win, I can't say enough about our pitching staff and executing the game plan today working hard and minimizing runs," Campbell said.
With two victories, Jessup ends the regular season 11-12 in conference action. Vanguard sneaks into the tournament as the 4-seed, which they earned after OUAZ lost to Arizona Christian. An OUAZ sweep would have sent the Spirit to the postseason. Menlo ends their season 11-13, losing out on the tiebreaker to VU.
"With our backs against the wall, this team came together to show what they are all about. It started last night with a fun team dinner and carried through to today. No matter the outcome, this team has worked hard to prove they are right where they belong, I couldn't be more proud of each and every one of these ladies, coaches and support staff, we may be small but we are mighty," Campbell concluded.
The Warriors will square off with 2-seed Arizona Christian on day one of the GSAC Tournament, which will be Monday. The other game taking place at OC Great Park will be 1-seed Hope International against 4-seed Vanguard.
Game times for Monday have yet to be released.
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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).
