IRVINE, Calif. – The postseason has begun from Irvine's OC Great Park, as the No. 12 ranked Warriors got the GSAC Tournament started against Arizona Christian. Backed by a dominant day from their starter and with a great day at the plate to go with it, Jessup advances in the winner's bracket with a 15-6 win.
Head coach
Trevor Paine turned to senior
Max Moreno to open up the postseason, and the left-hander did not disappoint. In one of his best collegiate outings, Moreno tossed six shutout frames where he held the Firestorm to just two hits. Moreno yielded just one walk and struck out seven before his day was done.
Paine touched on Moreno's day, noting, "When we knew that we drew ACU in game one, it was a pretty easy decision that was going to be Max. He's always just kind of had success against them and always pitches with confidence. We knew if he was able to throw pitches for strikes like he can, we would be a good."
The Warriors added to their veteran pitcher's confidence by giving him early run support. Three runs scored in the second inning, two thanks to
Kayde Iranon and then the third on a safety squeeze from
Cole Hazel.
A
Drew Andrews double added two more in the third, making it 5-0 Warriors.
"I think it just eases everyone's nerves to come out and play with a lead," added Paine on the early offense. "That way, you can get aggressive and do a bunch of different things."
The offense continued their onslaught in the fourth, as three more scored on a mammoth home run from
Chris Lopez. Lopez drove a ball over the fence in left-center that was projected to fly over 400 feet.
Another Jessup home run came in the eighth, as
Jack Grant squeaked one over the fence down the right field line to give the Warriors their 15th run of the day.
Jessup scored multiple runs in four consecutive innings as they forced ACU to go to the bullpen in the fourth. GSAC Pitcher of the Year Eli Elliot made the start, and he would leave with eight runs (six earned) on nine hits to his line.
Trevor Arntson and
Jason Riviello combined for three innings of relief for the Warriors.
The Warriors combined for 19 hits on Monday, as every player in the starting lineup totaled a hit.
Bryce Petrilla went 3-for-4 with two runs, and Lopez also added a 3-for-5 day with four RBI. GSAC Player of the Year
Trey Furrey went 2-for-6 in his GSAC Tournament debut.
Jessup also swiped seven bags, as they make 91 on the season. The 2024 Warriors have the most stolen bases in program history, surpassing the 82 from the 2022 squad.
Monday began with OUAZ and Vanguard kicking things off from OC Great Park. An OUAZ win sent them into the Monday finale, where they are taking on top-seeded Hope International. Jessup awaits the winner of that game tomorrow.
Day two from OC Great Park will get underway at 2 p.m.
Paine added that playing at two for the second day in a row is a good thing for the Warriors. "Being able to go about everything tomorrow the same way and stay on the same schedule is important. We can sit back and watch to see who we play and hopefully come out and put together another performance like we did today."
All games from the GSAC Tournament will be streaked on the GSAC Sports Network.
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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).
