The Bluejay skipper had to love this game. (Spomer / WBR)
– Corvallis, OR
What transpired in Corvallis today was something of legend. It was Ed Servais’s dream game, where the Jays were able to pressure their opposition into mistakes, where they relied on stellar defense in both the infield and outfield, and where the pace of the game was quick.
Evan Johnson dominated on the mound today. Using his typical controlling pace, the senior righty had given up just two hits in his first four innings of work. He gave up the only run of the ballgame in that fourth inning on a sac fly foul out to a trio of converging Bluejays.
It would be the only run of the game for the defending National Champions.
The offense was good enough, but had opportunities to blow the Beavers out of the water. Isaac Collins got the scoring started in the third inning with a lead off moonshot. Creighton’s offense had worked OSU starter Grant Gambrell in the two innings previous, so it was no surprise that they managed to get to him in the third.
Later in the third, after Jake Holton and Will Robertson managed to get on with a single and a hit-by-pitch, Holton managed to scamper to third after OSU catcher, and best-player-in-college Adley Rutschman, tried to throw Robertson out at first, only for the ball to go skittering away. With runners on the corners, Jack Strunc poked a ball into center and centerfielder Kyler McMahan booted the ball away. Robertson, with the presence of mind to get a little more aggressive, took off around second and rounded hard at third only for the ball to fall away as it was thrown in, and Robertson scored easily.
3-1 Bluejays.
It would stay that way until Evan Johnson was removed in the bottom of the sixth after giving up a walk and a sac bunt. John Sakowski entered and immediately got back-to-back fly outs to Parker Upton.
Read the feature on John Sakowski published today before the game.
The second fly out was a homerun. Emphasis on was. Upton tracked the ball like a seasoned hunter tracking a deer, sized up the wall, and hopped up and caught the ball perfectly.
Jack Strunc got his bat going early to get the Jays up. (Spomer / WBR)
It was a momentum booster. The inning before, Will Robertson tracked a ball in right and made a leaping catch at the wall. It was a defensive showcase for the Bluejays, something that isn’t surprising, but a feat that hadn’t been perceived in a long while.
The Jays got their fourth and final run in the top of the seventh. On the second pitch he saw, Robertson slashed an opposite field double over the third baseman’s head. A single by Strunc gave the Jays runners on the corners and one out. They didn’t need another hit though; OSU pitcher Dylan Pearce tried to pick Robertson off at third and sent the ball wide, giving Robertson an easy score.
Creighton had their three run lead and their ace reliever on the mound.
It was over, right?
In the top of the ninth and one out, Sakowski walked Joe Casey. No big deal, especially since freshman hitter Jake Dukart was at the plate. He hit a slow roller to Collins up the middle and… Collins fumbled the transfer to Strunc.
Runners on 1st and 2nd.
Tying run at the plate.
Panic.
Except two pitches later, Tyler Malone lined a shot to Collins, and off the first hop, Collins slowed down, flipped to Strunc, and patiently fired the game winning out to Jake Holton.
Ballgame.
Creighton now moves forward in the regional to face of on Sunday afternoon against the loser of Michigan / Cincinnati that is being played later Saturday night.