LINCOLN, Calif. – Saturday's action at McBean Park was not for the faint of heart as two games, each decided by one run, resulted in a pair of Jessup victories. With No. 4 Westmont in town, extra innings were needed before the day could conclude, as Jessup gave their fans a show they won't soon forget.
Saturday's two victories have Jessup sitting at 22-9 overall on the season. At 19-7 in conference play, the Warriors have a chance to move into a tie for first in the PacWest with two more wins tomorrow.
Game one saw Jessup get on the board in the second, thanks to a two-run shot from
Jack Grant. The Jessup offense kept the momentum going an inning later when
Tony Otis drove in a run, followed by a two-run single from
Nick Poss. But then came the Westmont attack.
Westmont scored four consecutive runs across the fourth and fifth innings, leveling the score at five.
Jessup responded in the last of the fifth with an RBI single from
Cody Antone and a sac fly from
Drew Andrews. Leading by two, Jessup tacked on a needed insurance run in the sixth when
Cole Anderson launched a no-doubt blast to left field in the sixth.
Anderson's shot was indeed needed as Westmont tagged right-hander
Nolan Thebiay for two runs in the seventh, cutting the Jessup led to one. Then, with two out in the eighth,
Trevor Paine turned to
Joey Miller to close the door, and Miller responded. The righty picked up his seventh save of the season thanks to 1.1 shutout innings out of the pen.
Ryan Stone earned the victory in relief after entering for
Loren Iwata in the fifth.
With eyes on a Saturday sweep, game two looked to be a story about Westmont pitcher Ryan Humphries as the left-hander opened the game, striking out the first five batters he saw. Humphries continued to mow through the Jessup lineup as he took a no-hitter into the fifth. That ended thanks to
Cole Hazel, who singled through the right side, scoring
Rudy Rodriguez to cut Westmont's lead to 4-1.
Westmont added a run in the sixth, but Jessup countered with a Poss RBI in the bottom half, sending the game to the final inning, where Jessup needed three to force extra innings.
Jessup put two on in the seventh, bringing the tying run to the plate. Paine turned to the bench this time, calling on
Gabe Harris. Harris responded in dramatic fashion as his opposite-field home run tied the game and pushed the contest to the eighth.
Innings seven and nine would see Jessup put the winning run on third, with Jessup loading and leaving the bases both times. The Warriors ended the game, leaving nine runners on base. But in the tenth, the big hit finally came when Atone looped one over the leaping second baseman, allowing
Dominic Ott to race home and score the winning run in walk-off fashion.
Evan Williams earned his fourth win of the season after throwing three perfect innings in relief.
Eric Vasser got the start, and he lasted 3.2 innings before
Chris Albee replaced him with 2.1 innings out of the bullpen.
The Warriors of Jessup and the Warriors of Westmont will return to McBean Park on Sunday for two more games to conclude the series. Game one of the doubleheader is scheduled for 1 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).
