LINCOLN, Calif. – It was a literal walk-off for Jessup on Friday as
Jack Grant was walked on a 3-1 count, giving
Kayde Iranon a free 90 feet to home plate to secure a 10-9 win. The victory was the second of the day for the Warriors, as they won the earlier doubleheader 8-0 in one of the quickest games of the season at just one hour 34 minutes.
The double victory day puts Jessup at 26-13 in PacWest action, entering the final home game of the season tomorrow.
After two scoreless innings in game one at McBean Stadium, the Jessup bats came alive as
Drew Andrews hit an RBI double that was followed up by a two-run blast by
Nick Poss to score four runs. It was also bombs away later in the game as
Cody Antone hit a solo shot in the fourth while
Tony Otis smashed one out in the fifth.
Jack Grant also had a solid performance at the dish for the Warriors, going three for three with a two-run single in the fifth.
On the hill, junior
Hailama Swartman threw a complete game shutout with eight strikeouts and allowed just six base runners all game. Swartman is now 4-1 on the season. The shutout was the first time Jessup has held an opponent scoreless since beating Fresno Pacific 2-0 on Feb. 15.
The ball kept flying in the second game of the day as the Cougars got on the board early with a two-run homer from Dominic Martinez in the first. Azusa Pacific added another pair of runs in the second with a groundout by Jacob Freer and a flyout from Allan Camarillo.
Jessup answered back in a huge way as they put up a seven spot in the second while batting through the order.
Cole Anderson hit a two-run single that was followed by an Andrews RBI double. Otis hit his second home run of the day, a two-run shot, as the Warriors took a 7-4 lead. Their lead increased in the third with another Grant RBI single before Andrews had an RBI single of his own in the fifth.
It was then Azusa's turn to battle back as the Cougars responded with five runs in the sixth, including a two-run single by Elijah Cook and RBIs from Michael Easter and Antonio Lujan, which tied the score at 9-9. Jessup had a chance to walk it off in the seventh, but a deep fly ball to left field sent the game to extras. The Warriors got another shot in the eighth as Iranon hit a lead-off double. One batter later, the Cougars decided to walk Antone and
Dominic Ott to load the bases. Despite having a force at every base, the decision didn't pay off, as Grant was walked to end the game.
The Warriors will go for the sweep tomorrow on Senior Say, with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. Senior day announcements and festivities are expected to start at 12:15 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).
