LINCOLN, Calif. – For those who missed the dramatics of Saturday's game two, you were in luck as a rerun of the contest was aired on Sunday at McBean Park. In almost identical fashion, Jessup tied game one late, forcing extras to take the series against No. 4 ranked Westmont.
The hero was once again
Gabe Harris. For the second game in a row, Harris was called on to pinch hit and entered the game as the potential tying run. This time, his team trailed by two with two out in the bottom of the ninth, and on the first pitch Harris saw he snuck one over the right field wall to level the score.
All of these heroics came after Jessup started the game down 3-0. The Warriors climbed back with a
Dominic Ott RBI triple, and then Ott scored on a fielder's choice. The third run for Jessup came home on a
Drew Andrews sac fly.
Once the game hit extra innings it was Ott who stepped up as the hero, pulling a ball fair down the left field line to plate
Nick Poss and win the game. Ott scored the winning run on Friday and now is on the other end of the walk-off. He finished game one 4-for-5.
The victory went to
Nolan Thebiay, who tossed a scoreless tenth inning.
Hailama Swartman took a no-decision after seven innings of work in which he allowed three runs and struck out five.
With the series now in hand, Jessup moved on to the finale, as one more win would put the Warriors in first place.
Westmont had other plans as a two run double in the second put Jessup behind for the fourth game in a row. Jessup countered in the fourth as Ott kept his hot bat alive with an RBI double. He then scored the tying run on
Jack Grant's RBI single up the middle. The level score did not last long as Westmont led off the fifth with a solo home run.
The 3-2 scoreline stayed into the bottom of the seventh, setting up a chance for a third consecutive comeback. Jessup began to put the pieces of the puzzle in place as
Cody Antone walked and then took second on a wild pitch. An error then allowed Antone to reach third, placing Poss on first as the potential winning run. Ott then came up looking to be the hero again, but this time, a ground ball to second base negated a sweep, allowing Westmont to leave Lincoln with their PacWest lead still in hand.
Jessup now sits 23-10 overall and 20-8 in PacWest action. Westmont is 24-9, with their PacWest record moving to 19-7. Sunday's game two win also ends a season-long five-game losing skid for Westmont.
The Warriors will hit the road the next two weeks as a trip to Vanguard awaits them this weekend. Jessup will be in Irvine to face Concordia the weekend after. The Warriors will not be in action at McBean Park again until April 17.
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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).
