TURLOCK, Calif. — The start of softball season came a day earlier than expected, as the Warriors looked to beat the rain, and Stanislaus State on Friday. With a pitcher's duel setting the stage in game one, the bats came to life in the second as the Warriors exit opening day with a split.
The decision to move the opening doubleheader from Saturday to Friday was made on Thursday evening. Rain hit Turlock periodically throughout pregame warm-ups, with the downpour waiting until the later innings of game two.
We are super grateful and appreciative to Stanislaus to make the switch to get these games in today, and our staff that traveled to help as well, it was a team effort," said head coach
Brie Campbell.
Campbell then added, "It's finally time and we're back in action, it took some time in game one to shake the nerves but I was super proud of our aggressive approach at the plate and solid defense."
Once the downpour came, so did the power surge by Jessup, as the Warriors hit two game two home runs amidst a rainy seventh inning. Two Warriors making their Jessup debuts,
Kylie Nunes and
Liliana DeAnda, provided the power, as both homered in the inning. Nunes' was a solo shot to left, followed by a two-run blast from DeAnda.
The inning began with
Sarah Giles driving in two on a double. Giles finished game two 2-for-4 with 3 RBI.
"Sarah did a great job leading the team offensively," added Campbell. "With a pair of bombs contributed by newcomers Kylie and Lili while all our three pitchers did phenomenal in the circle."
It wasn't all offense for the Warriors on Friday. Game one was a pitcher's duel, with Stanislaus Stare scoring late to win 1-0.
Alexandria Himes made her Jessup debut in the circle, tossing a complete game in which she allowed the one run on six hits with three strikeouts.
Bella MacFarlane earned the victory in game two following four innings of work.
Jazlyn Villavicencio logged three innings in relief.
Sitting .500 to begin the season, the Warriors will continue playing on the road for their next nine games, as their home opener won't come until February 21.
"We can only grow from here, two miles down with the marathon still ahead of us, great to be back at the diamond with the squad and the families who support," concluded Campbell.
Next for Jessup is a visit to Sonoma State on February 7, with the doubleheader set to begin at noon.
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Jessup University is a provisional member of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division II and the PacWest Conference. 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 (Instagram & X).
