SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The winning ways of the Warriors continued on Tuesday as a pair of walk-offs against the Hawaii Hilo Vulcans pushed Jessup's win streak to seven. The day began with a late blast to push game one to extra innings, and then a sixth-inning hit ended the second game of the day an inning early.
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Jessup, now 16-13 overall on the season, sits at 10-4 in PacWest action.
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The home run ball powered the offense for Jessup in game one, starting in the first inning when
Emma Gaytan launched a two-run shot to center. That 2-0 lead held for the first six innings until the Hilo bats woke up in the seventh with four runs on four hits.
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Down two and down to their final out, Jessup put a runner on with
Olivia Dominguez's infield single. Then came the reigning PacWest Player of the Week,
Maddy Ybarra, who provided the shot of adrenaline Jessup needed with her game-tying home run to center field.
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The game then went to extra innings, eventually pushing to the ninth.
Madisyn Leffle led off the inning with a single and then used her speed to swipe second base. Dominguez then laid down a bunt to move Leffle to third, but the throw to first got away, allowing Leffle to race on home and end the ballgame with a 5-4 Jessup win.
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Alexandria Himes is now 5-6 on the season after tossing all nine innings. Himes allowed four runs on nine hits with a pair of walks and six punchouts.
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After a 30-minute intermission, the two teams returned to the diamond with a déjà vu start as Jessup once again took a first-inning lead with a home run. This time, the blast came off the bat of
Kylie Nunes, who sent a three-run shot over the wall in right-center. The next inning saw Jessup load the bases, but this time, a home run was missed by a matter of inches as Ybarra placed one off the wall, clearing the bases and placing Ybarra on third.
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A second home run of the day would not be missed in the fifth, as Gaytan rounded the bases for the second time as she clubbed her second two-run bomb of the day. The Warriors then tacked on three in the fifth, with the final blow being a
Liliana DeAnda two-run single to end the game early with Jessup on top 11-3.
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Bella MacFarlane earned the victory after allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits across six innings of work. MacFarlane is now 8-3 on the season.
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Jessup and Hilo will return to the field at American River College on Wednesday with a single game to conclude the series. Game time is set for 2 p.m.
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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).
