IRVINE, Calif. – Day one in Irvine did not go to plan for the Warriors but a new day arrived on Saturday as Jessup and Concordia resumed their series. It was a long day of baseball, but a good one for the boys in the visitor's dugout as Jessup swept the day to leave SoCal with a split.
The Warriors are now 23-13 in PacWest action. They sit 4.5 games behind Westmont, who leads the conference.
Fans were treated to extra baseball in game one of Saturday's doubleheader, as extra innings were needed to decide a winner. Jessup trailed 2-0 early in the game, but RBI singles from
Rudy Rodriguez and
Cody Antone in the sixth leveled the score at two.
The 2-2 tie held for the next six innings as the game extended to the 13th frame. Finally, the big hit came from a player no stranger to big hits.
Gabe Harris, who hit two game-tying home runs in the Westmont series, added a game-winning home run on Saturday as his mammoth solo shot gave Jessup the 3-2 lead.
Nolan Thebiay shut the door in the bottom half to clinch his sixth save of the season.
Joey Miller earned the win after three shutout frames in relief. The Jessup bullpen combined for 8.2 innings of shutout baseball with Jake Morrell and
Ryan Stone also pitching.
Hailama Swartman lasted 4.1 innings in his start.
Head coach
Trevor Paine then turned the ball to
Diego Chavez in game two. With the bullpen taxed, Chavez put the game on his shoulders.
The right-hander logged a complete game in the series finale. Chavez allowed one unearned run across four hits. He walked one and struck out three in his seven innings of work.
Concordia were the first ones on the board in the finale, but Jessup countered with Rodriguez's second RBI single of the day. Jessup eventually took the lead in the top of the seventh when
Tony Otis' sac fly plated
Cody Antone.
The season makes its way back to McBean Park this week as the Warriors welcome Azusa Pacific to town. The four-game series will be spread across three days, with game one coming at 5 p.m. on Thursday.
Saturday's finale with APU will be Senior Day.
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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).
