LINCOLN, Calif. - Jessup baseball (9-4, 7-3 PacWest) concluded their series against Concordia University Irvine (9-11, 7-5 PacWest) on Wednesday afternoon at McBean Park, splitting the doubleheader. The Warriors dropped a tight, low scoring 2-1 battle in the first game before their offense exploded for a dominant 13-3 victory in the second game to close out the day.

Game 1, 2-1 (CUI)

The opening game of the day proved to be a classic pitcher's duel, with both offenses kept completely off the board through the first five innings. Kai Hirayama (1-1) was dealing early for the Warriors, but Concordia broke the scoreless tie in the top of the sixth inning when a solo home run to left put the Golden Eagles ahead, 1-0.

Concordia extended their lead in the top of the eighth inning when a wild pitch allowed a run to cross the plate, 2-0. The Warriors immediately threatened a comeback in the bottom half of the frame. Gabe Harris crossed the plate after Quinton Hall lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, cutting the deficit to one, 2-1. However, Concordia's bullpen clamped down and secured the save to hand Jessup a narrow defeat, 2-1.

Despite the loss, Landyn Plaut (2-for-4) and Adam Reyes (2-for-4) paced the Warriors' lineup with multi-hit games, matching Concordia's eight total hits with seven of their own. Hall earned the lone Warrior RBI from a sacrifice fly in the later innings. Hirayama pitched six frames of one run ball and struck out five to keep his team within striking distance. Tyler Moore and Joey Miller came in for relief for the final three innings. 

Game 2, 13-3 (Jessup)

The second matchup of the afternoon featured a completely different narrative as the Jessup offense erupted for 14 hits and completely overwhelmed the Golden Eagles' pitching staff.

Concordia managed to strike first, taking a brief one run lead in the top of the first inning on a passed ball, 1-0. But the Warriors responded with a vengeance in the bottom of the second, exploding for seven runs to take full control. The inning was highlighted by Justin Tsukada ripping an RBI double to right-center and, shortly after, Tony Otis launching a massive grand slam to left field, 5-1. Tsukada added an RBI single later in the same frame to make it a six run ballgame, 7-1.

The Warriors didn't let off the gas, adding two more runs in the third inning when Cody Antone scored on an error and Hall drove in Otis with an RBI double down the left-field line, 9-1. In the fourth, Jayden Montero brought a run home on a sacrifice fly before Otis and Plaut tacked on back-to-back RBI singles to extend the commanding lead to 12-1.

Starting pitcher Jordan Cezar (1-0) was excellent on the mound, tossing 4.0 strong innings, allowing just one run on three hits to earn the win. Concordia managed to push across two runs in the top of the sixth inning, but an RBI fielder's choice from Jack Helmholz in the bottom half of the frame cemented the final double digit scoreline, 13-3. 

Tony Otis had a sensational performance at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with a home run and a staggering 5 RBIs. Cody Antone scored three runs, while Justin Tsukada (2-for-3, 2 RBIs) and Quinton Hall (2-for-4, 1 RBI) both put together stellar offensive showings.

Head Coach Trevor Paine spoke about his team's response in the second game, "We needed the big hit to get the offense going and Otis delivered. We stuck with it and hits are contagious, so good to see the offense get back on track." He praised his game two starter for slowing down the Golden Eagle bats, "Cezar was great, as he did a good job of swinging some momentum back in our dugout. He had three pitches for strikes today and when he has that he can shut teams down." Head Coach Paine talked about the Warriors upcoming Hawaii trip, "We have two good teams out there we have to play. It's our first real road trip so we will see how the team responds to the travel." 

Looking ahead, the team will catch a flight to the islands to take on a pair of PacWest Conference opponents. First, they will travel to Hawaii Pacific to take on the Sharks on Friday, February 28th. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 PM. You can watch your Warriors on the road on the PacWest Network.