Previous to this game starting, Creighton got a bit of good news in the result of the St. John’s-Butler game. See, Creighton needs Butler to lose – or for St. John’s to win – three straight games in order to make it to the outskirts of Cincinnati in order to play in the BIG EAST tournament.
The stroke of bad news received came with Georgetown and Seton Hall getting rained out. If Butler prevails once in their three game set against St. John’s, then the Jays need Georgetown to drop all three contests against the Pirates. If even a single game is rained out in that series, then we’ll see Georgetown advance because the BIG EAST is ridiculous.
Which brings us to tonight’s affair between Creighton and Cal, a seemingly meaningless ballgame that exists solely to entertain the Golden Bears in Omaha. It wasn’t long ago – 2011 – that the Golden Bears became a darkhorse darling in Omaha during the College World Series. Their return this season isn’t much of a primer for a postseason run as much as it is a reminder of the ghosts of their accomplishments, since Cal sits in the middle of the pack in a mildly potent PAC-12.
Though Ryan Tapani’s performance was something to marvel at, yet his starts usually end up this way, it was the freshman 9-hole hitter who stole the show tonight. Evan Spry, a guy who had 16 at-bats all season long but suddenly found himself in a versatile role since Parker Upton’s concussion, blasted a 3-2 fastball deep into the right field corner.
The ball carried and carried, the right fielder giving chase up until the ball plummeted into the right field bullpen and gave the Jays their first run of the ballgame. Ecstatic jubilation followed, as the young kid from Wisconsin had notched his first career dongshot.
This was just a drop in the bucket, however, since Cal had already posted three runs on the board, striking in the top of the first with two runs on back-to-back-to-back singles with no outs and a subsequent fielder’s choice RBI groundout.
Not a great start, and it seemed to get worse, as in the top of the third the Golden Bears struck again with back-to-back singles and a sac fly to make it 3-0.
In the fourth, the Jays finally struck gold, starting with a single from Will Robertson. Ryan ‘Heider’s Comet’ Mantle then proceeded to blast a double into center, scoring Robertson, yet it was all the Jays could muster in the inning.
It was in the bottom of the fifth where Spry made his coronation to the folks in Omaha.
It was in the bottom of the fifth where the Jays got the win.
It all started with Spry’s dongshot to right. It was the spark that the team needed offensively, as Clark Brinkman proceeded to drop a single into left in the next at bat. Isaac Collins grounded sharply to short and the Cal defense deferred to second for the first out of the inning.
Mike Emodi then stepped to the dish and hit a chopping squibber to third, so the third baseman threw to second to start the double play. Instead, he threw it short and wide of second, sending the ball skittering into right field and allowing Collins to take third while Mike stood atop first.
In a wild turn of events, Will Robertson, known for hitting laser dongshots, chopped a ball in between first and the pitcher’s mound. Cal’s first baseman charged, retrieved the ball, then realized there wasn’t a bag to throw to. Collins scored, Emodi and Robertson were safe at 2nd and 1st with just one away.
3-3 ballgame.
Ryan Mantle then slapped a double down the left field line. Robertson and Emodi were in tow, the two of them sprinting all the way home as the Cal left fielder fumbled around with the ball in the corner, giving the Jays a 5-3 lead.
That’s all they’d need.
Ryan Tapani worked 6.2 innings of 8 hit, 3 ER ball. He tossed 106 pitches – 76 for strikes, and managed to strike out 8 PAC-12 batters in the process, further solidifying his chances of getting drafted in the MLB draft.
He’d be relieved by Grant Spranger, the lefty JUCO product, who absolutely decimated the two batters he saw with his wicked breaking stuff that’d make your own damn mother weep with joy.
Mitch Boyer followed Spranger. Boyer plunked the first batter he saw, struck out the next, then walked the third, giving the Golden Bears a Golden Opportunity.
Ed Servais decided to go with the man who can shut down any deal. The man who gets the coffee. The closer.
Bobby Kametas.
Kametas proceeded to strike out Cal’s threat with three pitches. Simple as that.
Kametas ran into a bit of trouble in the ninth, but worked around it and managed to lock up the save.
The win propelled Creighton to a 33-15 record.
St. John’s and Butler play a double header tomorrow at 12pm & 4pm. That matchup will decide Creighton’s fate.
