No. 3 Creighton Bluejays (0-1 in MVC Tournament) vs. No. 2 Wichita State (0-1 in MVC Tournament)
9:00 a.m.TBD, as the day starts with a weather delay Wednesday- Radio: 1180 AM (stream here)
- Webcast: ESPN3 (stream here)
- Live Stats: here
Tournament Bracket/Schedule
Game 1 — No. 6 Indiana State 4, No. 3 Creighton 3
Game 2 — No. 7 Southern Illinois 5, No. 2 Wichita State 1
Game 3 — No. 4 Missouri State 2, No. 5 Evansville 1
Game 4 — No. 1 Illinois State 11, No. 8 Bradley 1 (8 innings)
Game 5 — (9:00 a.m. Wednesday) No. 3 Wichita State (0-1) vs. No. 3 Creighton (0-1)
Game 6 — (12:30 p.m. Wednesday) No. 8 Bradley (0-1) vs. No. 5 Evansville (0-1)
Game 7 — (4:00 p.m. Wednesday) No. 7 Southern Illinois (1-0) vs. No. 6 Indiana State (1-0)
Game 8 — (7:30 p.m. Wednesday) No. 4 Missouri State (1-0) vs. No. 1 Illinois State (1-0)
Overview
If the Creighton Bluejays are going to win their final Missouri Valley Conference baseball tournament, they’ll need to win five games in four days after losing their first round game Tuesday to Indiana State.
Friday night starter Tommy Strunc didn’t make it out of the second inning, succumbing to wildness that saw the Sycamores plate their first run of the game.
Mark Lukowski was admirable out of the bullpen, going 5.1 innings in relief and surrendering just 3 hits and 1 earned run. But the Bluejays couldn’t come up with any clutch hits with runners on base, leaving 11 men on the bags.
Still, the Jays trailed just 2-1 entering the eighth inning. Mark Winkelman relieved Lukowski and promptly served up two solo home runs in the top of the frame. The Jays rallied for a few runs in the bottom of the ninth, but an Alex Staehely groundout to third base ended the threat and sent Creighton to the loser’s bracket.
On the other side of Bracket A, No. 2 Wichita State Friday night starter Cale Elam couldn’t get past the fifth inning and the Shockers managed to score just 1 run on 7 hits in a 5-1 loss to No. 7 Southern Illinois.
The CU and WSU losses sets up an intriguing elimination game Wednesday morning. The longtime, bitter baseball rivals can enact some lasting damage one final time: a Creighton loss would effectively end its affiliation with the Missouri Valley Conference, while a Wichita State loss might be Gene Stephenson’s final one as skipper of the Shockers.
Just a few weeks ago, the Bluejays beat WSU twice in three games at Eck Stadium in Wichita.
Weather
The Jays and Shox should have a pleasant morning to play, with temperatures in the upper 60s according to Accuweather.com. The game won’t start on time, given the weather delay caused by lightning and some rain.
On the Mound
Another CU freshman will toe the rubber to start a game in this tournament. Austin Groth hopes his outing goes better than that of fellow frosh Strunc. But Groth’s previous appearance against Wichita State didn’t go well, with WSU chasing Groth after 4.1 innings thanks to 4 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks. Groth suffered the loss in Wichita State’s 4-1 win that prevented Creighton from sweeping the Shockers.
A.J. Ladwig, a sophomore from Millard West, is Groth’s probable counterpart for WSU. The Jays tagged a loss on Ladwig in a 3-1 win that gave Creighton its first series win in Wichita in 10 years. He struck out 7 Bluejays on May 11 but surrendered 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits and 2 walks.
At the Plate
Jake Peter had three more hits in Tuesday’s loss to Indiana State, while Mike Gerber returned after missing a month and collected 2 hits and 2 runs batted in. But missed opportunities plagued the Bluejays yet again. CU left 11 men on base; Frederico Castangini left 4 on base despite going 2-4 with 2 runs scored, and Reagan Fowler left 3 guys on base during an 0-3 day.
Things weren’t much better for Wichita State batters Tuesday. Tyler Baker and Tanner Dearman each had 2 hits, but as a team the Shockers collected only 7 total and managed to scratch just 1 run across against SIU ace Cody Forsythe, who threw a complete game.
