REDDING, Calif. – The William Jessup Warriors came to town Tuesday night for a single game Baseball series. The northern-California rival Warriors are a team of national recognition, their record of 39-14 last season was good for a national ranking of #14 in this year's NAIA preseason coaches' poll. The Warriors are in the midst of a solid preseason, going 11-2 before traveling north to face SU.
Jessup got off to a hot start in the lone Tuesday night game, scoring two runs in the first inning and jumping out to a quick lead. The Red Hawks got to work cutting into the lead with two runs of their own in the bottom of the second with
Damien Chavez scoring on a
Michael Driscoll homerun.
The Warriors scored another run in the top of the sixth, extending their lead 4-2 before Simpson's late game offensive explosion.
Jordan Taylor stepped to the plate with basses loaded in the bottom of the seventh and brought home
Logan Gomes and
James Turnbull on a well placed single that got right past the second baseman.
The Red Hawks scored six runs on five hits in the bottom of the eighth to secure the upset against Jessup.
Christopher Brue, who led the Red Hawks in home runs last season, came in to pinch hit and sent a bomb over the fence in left field bringing home
Damien Chavez and put Simpson up 6-4. Gomes would score on a wild pitch, Turnbull hit an RBI single, and
Andre Alvarez earned two RBI's bringing home
Jonathan Liu and
Nathan Minami to round out the SU scoring effort.
Andrew Cisneros started the game on the mound for the Red Hawks and threw five innings giving up four runs on 6 hits. Gabe Rojas came in as relief and got the win throwing five strikeouts in two innings and limiting the Warriors to two hits.
Awai came in as relief after the big SU eighth and got the three strikeouts needed in the top of the ninth to send the Red Hawks home with the win.
These two teams will face off again for another single game series in Rocklin, Calif. on February 25.
The Red Hawks will travel to Idaho this weekend and look to build on this victory with back to back double headers against the College of Idaho Yotes.
