LINCOLN, Calif. – Following a dominant offensive display on the road to open the series, Jessup University baseball returned to McBean Stadium on Saturday for a doubleheader against Cal State East Bay. The Warriors continued their power surge in the opening game to secure an 11-8 victory before the Pioneers rallied late in game two to force a split with a 9-7 result.

Game 1: Jessup 11, Cal State East Bay 8

The Warriors' bats stayed red-hot to start the day, launching five home runs to overpower the Pioneers. Quinton Hall set the tone early, blasting a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning to give Jessup an immediate 1-0 lead. After East Bay clawed back to take a 4-1 lead in the third, Hall struck again. With two runners on, he crushed his second home run of the game over the left-field fence, a three-run blast that leveled the score at 4-4.

The power display continued through the middle innings as Jayden Montero broke a 5-5 tie with a two-run home run to right field. This was followed by a three-run shot from Landyn Plaut and a solo blast from Matt Gonsalvez in the fifth. By the time the dust settled, Jessup held a commanding 11-5 advantage. On the mound, Jordan Cezar earned the win to improve to 3-0 on the season, navigating through the Pioneer lineup to keep the Warriors in control. East Bay hit a three-run home run in the ninth to tighten the gap, but the Warriors earned the 11-8 victory and clinched the series win. 

Game 2: Cal State East Bay 9, Jessup 7

The series finale looked to be another Jessup rout early on. Cole Hazel got the Warriors on the board with a solo home run in the second, and an RBI single from Quinton Hall in the third kept the momentum rolling. The fourth inning featured the highlight of the day when Jayden Montero stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and connected on a grand slam to left field, punctuating a five-run inning that put the Warriors ahead 7-1.

However, the Pioneers refused to go quietly and staged a massive comeback. After chipping away with two runs in the sixth, East Bay orchestrated a six-run rally in the top of the seventh. A series of hits combined with Jessup defensive miscues allowed the Pioneers to leapfrog ahead 9-7. Jessup was unable to respond in the bottom half of the final frame, resulting in a split for the day.

Across the doubleheader, the Warriors were led by Quinton Hall, who finished 5-for-8 with two home runs and five RBIs. Jayden Montero also provided massive production with two home runs and six RBIs, including the game-two grand slam. 

Head Coach Trevor Paine reflected on the non-conference three game series, "I think a lot of good came from the series and a lot that we can still improve on. I still don't think we are a finished product and have to work hard to get there." 

Jessup now sits at 15-9 on the year and will look to bounce back as they remain at McBean Stadium for a conference clash against Biola University on Thursday, March 19, with the first pitch set for 1:00 PM.