Jacobo's complete game highlights another Pride doubleheader split with Judson
DES MOINES, Iowa - Finishing up a four-game set in a neutral location, the Clarke University baseball team split their second-straight doubleheader against Judson University on Saturday afternoon in Des Moines, Iowa with a 5-4 loss in game three of the season and a 5-2 victory in the finale.
In both games, the Eagles jumped out to early leads playing as the visitors after being the home team in Friday's games as JU scored in both the top of the first and top of the second in both games, going up 4-1 in Saturday's opener and leading 2-0 after two innings in the finale.
Jaxon Brooks was able to tie the game three score at 1-1 with an RBI single in the bottom of the first before Judson took a 5-1 lead after three innings with Cu attempting to mount a late comeback with a run in the fifth and two in the bottom of the seventh on a Brady Lord two-run double as Lord's pinch runner of Teddy Estudillo was left stranded on second as the tying run to end the game.
A day after Clarke used all starting pitchers who were new to the CU roster in 2026, head coach Brian McCabe leaned on three returning arms to pitch the 14 innings on Saturday with Zach Arnold getting the game three start, allowing all five runs in two-plus innings of work before Hayden Vickroy pitched five strong shutout innings out of the bullpen allowing three hits and three walks while also stirking out three.
It only took one pitcher to earn the game four victory as David Jacobo went a complete seven innings to earn the victory while allowing two runs, only one earned, on six hits, three walks, and striking out four Eagles hitters for the longest outing of his Pride pitching career.
The outing didn't start out at its best for Jacobo as previously mentioned, Judson started up 2-0 after two innings but the senior from Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic settled in nicely after that to allow his offense to put up a five-run third inning to take the lead and hold it over the remainder of the game.
In that five-run third, Lord drove in another run on a sacrifice fly to get the scoring started before Christian Ayers was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to tie the game and Darin Eales scored on a wild pitch to give CU the lead where Jacobo's battery mate Daniel Mendez capped off the scoring with a two-RBI single, making it the eventual final of 5-2.
Clarke baseball will continue their typical February schedule of neutral/warmer climate matchups when they next travel to Joplin, Mo. for the NAIA Festival where they will face Dakota Wesleyan University on Saturday Feb. 14 and Concordia University on Sunday Feb. 15 with each day's doubleheaders slated to start at 12:00 p.m. CT.