WALESKA, Ga. – Jessup's third all-time appearance in the NAIA Opening Round got underway on Monday, as a rainy day in Georgia set the stage for a battle with Point Park. With the ball flying around the yard, the Warriors had their chances to win the opener but ultimately lost 13-10.
Monday ends Jessup's nine-game win streak and sends them to the loser's bracket of the Opening Round.
Head coach
Trevor Paine was optimistic after the loss, as he told his team he had confidence in their ability to bounce back. "The way we look at it, this is just an opportunity to play more baseball. This team has shown a lot of fight all year and we are going to need to dig deep the rest of the way. Offensively, we did a good job of putting pressure on them all day. We had some missed opportunities, but all in all we continued to get guys on, and that needs to stay that way the rest of the tournament."
First pitch was scheduled for 2 p.m. Georgia time, but that was changed Sunday evening as the forecast showed a storm on the way. The game was then moved to 11 a.m. (EST), and for the first six innings of the action, rain fell with little to no breaks.
The rainy day, packed with the Georgia heat, set up for heavy and humid conditions, but that did not slow down the baseball. The ball was flying on Monday, as the two teams combined for six home runs.
Jessup left the yard first, as they put two on the board thanks to catcher
James Williams III. Williams' blast made it 4-1 Warriors in the second, but Point Park climbed back with back-to-back home runs in the fourth to even the score.
Trey Furrey gave Jessup the lead again in the bottom half as he tattooed a ball up the middle for an RBI single. An error made it 6-4 Warriors, but once again, a PPU home run tied the game.
Kayde Iranon would hit Jessup's second home run of the day, a solo shot that put Jessup ahead 7-6 in the fifth.
The big inning for Point Park came in the seventh, as the rally started with an RBI single to tie the game. Then, with two outs and the bases loaded, PPU blew the game open with a grand slam. Jessup did not back down, however, as three runs in the bottom half cut the score to 11-10.
Point Park added two more in the eighth, forcing Jessup to rally again. The Warriors were up for the challenge, as a
Chris Lopez double, a fielder's choice, and an error loaded the bases with one out. Jessup did not cash in on the opportunity, as a pop-out and a strike-out ended the threat, as PPU held on in the ninth to win by three.
Jessup used five pitchers on Monday, and they combined to walk eight batters.
Paine touched on the work of his pitchers, adding, "We didn't do a good enough job of throwing strikes today. Between the walks and falling behind in counts, they were able to get good swings off. That was a little uncharacteristic for us, so if that can get cleaned up, we should be ok moving forward."
The Warriors now have to play for their lives in the loser's bracket as they wait to find out who their next opponent is. Jessup's next scheduled game is on Tuesday at 2 p.m. (EST), but there is expected to be heavy rain hitting Waleska tonight.
Should there be any updates to the schedule, the news will be released via @Jessup_BASE on X and right here at jessupathletics.com.
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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).
