FRESNO, Calif. — The first PacWest series in Jessup Baseball history shifted south to Fresno on Monday, as the Warriors and Fresno Pacific hit the diamond twice to round out their four-game set. Needing to mount a comeback in both games, the Warriors were up for the task as the day ended with Jessup pulling out a sweep to start their tenure in the PacWest.
Jessup remains perfect on the season, moving to 7-0 to start their first Division II campaign.
Outfielder Tony Otis was the hero in game one, as Otis hit a solo home run in the eighth inning to put Jessup on top 3-2. Ryan Stone and Nolan Thebiay produced scoreless innings on the mound, as the Otis home run clinched a series victory.
Jessup initially trailed 2-0 after the Sunbirds plated a pair of runs in the first inning off starter
Evan Williams. It took until the sixth inning for the Warriors to tack on a run, as
Drew Andrews provided the first RBI with a single up the middle. The Warriors later tied the game in the seventh when a wild pitch allowed
Nick Poss to score.
Williams lasted three innings in his first start of the season and left with a no-decision.
Tyler Lamperti earned the win after 0.2 innings in relief.
Jessup again had to go to the bullpen early in game two as the Sunbirds tagged left-handed
Loren Iwata with five runs across 1.2 innings. Jessup eventually found themselves trailing 7-0 entering the fifth inning.
Andrews once again drove in the first run for Jessup, this time a double to spark a five-run fifth inning. After an FPU run in the bottom half pushed their lead to 8-5, Jessup continued to chip away as Otis drove in two with a single into left field. A wild pitch allowed
Kayde Iranon to plate the tying run, and then
Dominic Ott stepped up with the go ahead RBI on a ground out to shortstop.
Gavin Guard and
Joey Miller combined to keep FPU off the board in the sixth and seventh, as Miller's second save of the series capped off the sweep.
Eric Vasser is credited with the win after tossing a scoreless fifth inning.
The Warriors will look to keep this momentum going as they take to Southern California this weekend for four-games at Biola. Jessup are in the midst of a ten game road trip, and will not be back in action at McBean Park until March 6.
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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).
