OMAHA, Neb. -- Xavier scored five runs in the top of the ninth inning to take the opening game of series at Creighton on Thursday night, 10-5.
Despite the loss, Creighton (21-12) remained percentage points ahead of Connecticut with three games to play in its quest for a second straight BIG EAST title. The Bluejays are 13-5 (.722) in league play, while Connecticut improved to 10-4 (.714) after an 11-4 victory vs. Seton Hall earlier in the day. Xavier is now 24-22 (14-9 BIG EAST) and remains in fourth place in the league standings. All four clubs have clinched spots in next week's BIG EAST Tournament in Mason, Ohio.
Creighton never led in the game, but had runners in scoring position throughout much of the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings while trying to claw back. The Bluejays tied the game on Parker Upton's bases-loaded triple in the bottom of the eighth inning after filling the bases without the benefit of a hit. After a shallow fly out, Ryan Mantle and Alan Roden would be intentionally walked to set up another bases-loaded situation. This time freshman reliever Dorsey Chatham squashed the Bluejay rally when Hayes grounded into a 5-3 double play on his first pitch he saw.
The Musketeers took a 6-5 lead with one out in the ninth inning as Luke Franzoni launched a 2-0 pitch from John Sakowski into the seats in section 127. It was his second homer of the game. XU would later load the bases and get a two-run single by Alex Helmin to add to its lead. The lead grew with a seeing-eye single by Tyler Demartino and an unearned score after a Bluejay throwing error made it 10-5. All five runs (four earned) came against losing pitcher John Sakowski (1-3).
Xavier took advantage of a pair of walks to score the game's first two runs. After Dylan Tebrake retired the first six batters of the game, the right-hander walked Demartino and Jared Cushing to open the third inning. A one-out single by Franzoni plated Demartino and one batter later Cushing scored on Jack Housinger's laser to center that tipped off Parker Upton's glove in center before dropping.
Creighton chased Xavier starter Nick Zwack in the sixth inning while scoring its first run. Roden doubled to right and Zwack was lifted one pitch after walking Sterling Hayes. Sophomore Michael Dillon struck out the first batter he faced before David Vilches singled to left to score Roden. CU would load the bases after a walk to David Webel but Dillon escaped a jam by striking out Nolan Clifford after a long at bat.
Xavier wasted no time getting that run back, as Jared Cushing lined a 1-2 offering from Bluejay reliever Tommy Steier into the bullpen two batters later. Two batters after Cushing's blast, Franzoni belted his team-high seventh homer of the season to up the Musketeer advantage to 4-1.
The Bluejays got one of those runs back in the home half of the seventh inning. Singles by Andrew Meggs and Roden preceded a two-out walk to Hayes that led Xavier to call on left-hander Jack Lynch from the bullpen. Lynch's first offering went to the backstop, allowing Meggs to slide home, but the threat ended there after a flyout.
Xavier responded in the top of the eighth inning with an insurance run against Steier. Natale Monastra reached on an infield single and later came around to score on a triple by Demartino.
Chatham improved to 3-1, needing just 13 pitches to record the game's final five outs.
Neither starter factored into the decision. Zwack yielded just three hits and one run in 5.1 innings. His career-high 11 strikeouts tied a TD Ameritrade Park Omaha record by a Bluejay opponent. Tebrake allowed three hits and two runs in six innings of work in which he struck out seven and walked three.
Roden had Creighton's first four-hit game of the season, finishing 4-for-4 with a walk to lift his batting average to .384 on the season. But CU could not take enough advantage of nine walks, going 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranding a dozen runners on base.
Franzoni was 3-for-5 with three RBI, while Helmin and Demartino also drove in a pair of runs to key the Xavier offense on Thursday.
The Bluejays and Musketeers will play a doubleheader on Friday starting at 2 p.m. Central.
NOTES: The game started 80 minutes late due to a steady rain that fell in Omaha during most of the afternoon ... Dylan Tebrake wore No. 43, rather than his normal No. 14 ... Tebrake has thrown five or more innings in all 11 starts this season ... After Cushing was called out while stealing third base in the fifth inning,the call was overturned after Xavier asked for the play to be reviewed via instant replay ... Creighton also won a replay challenge in teh sixth inning after Sterling Hayes was initially called out at third base while trying to advance to third base on David Vilches' single ... Nick Zwack's 11 strikeouts tied a TD Ameritrade Park Omaha record by a Bluejay opponent, done four times previously ... Creighton fell to 10-2 this season at home.
"drops" - Google News
May 21, 2021 at 11:39AM
https://ift.tt/3oBE9jc
Baseball Drops Series Opener to Xavier, 10-5 - GoCreighton.com
"drops" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2z3v8dG
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Baseball Drops Series Opener to Xavier, 10-5 - GoCreighton.com"
Post a Comment