WAIPAHU, HI – Jessup University Warriors dropped both ends of a Sunday doubleheader to Hawaii Pacific University, 3-2 and 13-8.
Game 1: Jessup 2 vs HPU 3
The series opener was a masterclass in situational baseball, with the Warriors jumping out to an early lead. In the top of the second, Colby Pudge reached and eventually came around to score on a clutch RBI single from Jayden Montero, giving Jessup a 1–0 advantage.
After the Sharks tied the game in the third, the Warriors reclaimed the lead in the fifth. Hunter Hirayama sparked the rally with a single to shortstop and advanced on a sacrifice bunt. Landyn Plaut then delivered a deep fly ball to right field for a sacrifice fly, allowing Hirayama to tag and score, putting Jessup up 2–1.
However, the Sharks proved resilient. A wild pitch in the bottom of the fifth allowed HPU to knot the score at 2-2. The game remained deadlocked until the bottom of the seventh. Following two hit batters that put the winning run in scoring position, HPU lined a walk-off single to center field to steal the opener, 3-2.
Kai Hirayama earned the start for Jessup, pitching four solid innings and allowing just one earned run. Joey Guarienti and Noah Souza combined for 2.1 relief innings. Joey Miller was tagged with the loss in relief. Montero and Plaut were responsible for Jessup's two runs from an RBI each.
Game 2: Jessup 8 vs HPU 13
The second game of the day was a stark contrast to the first, as both offenses found their rhythm early. Jessup wasted no time, plating two runs in the first inning without a hit, utilizing a wild pitch and a Quinton Hall sacrifice fly to take a 2–0 lead. The highlights continued in the third when Hall connected on a towering two-run home run to left field, scoring Cody Antone and extending the lead to 4–2.
After HPU surged ahead with four runs in the bottom of the third, Jessup responded with their biggest inning of the day. A four-run fourth inning featured RBI singles from Pudge, Montero, and Antone. When the dust settled, Jessup held an 8–6 lead and looked to have the momentum.
The lead was short-lived, however. In the bottom half of the fourth, the Sharks exploded for six runs on three hits and were aided by two Jessup errors and a critical bases-loaded walk. The outburst pushed HPU ahead 12-8, a deficit the Warriors could not overcome in the final frames. Jessup fell to HPU 13-8 in seven innings.
Quinton Hall finished Game two with three RBIs, while Cody Antone scored twice. Landon Rowland took the loss on the mound during the high-scoring fourth.
The Warriors return to Waipahu Monday night, March 2nd, for one more game against the Sharks. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 PM (PST).
