Kevin Connolly drove in two runs and Creighton’s bullpen, led by David Gerber and Ethan DeCaster at the back end, held the visiting South Dakota State Jackrabbits (7-10) scoreless over the final six innings in a 4-2 midweek win at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha on Tuesday night.
It was a win the Bluejays (10-7) won’t be making any instructional hitting videos out of after once again struggling to produce with runners in scoring position. Two days removed from leaving 44 men on base during their four-game series with Utah Valley, the Bluejays had just three hits in 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position on Tuesday night, including a 2-for-13 mark with a runner on third base.
“I never saw a team get more triples and leave a guy at third base. We must be leading the country in not being able to drive in a runner at third base with less than two outs,” Creighton head coach Ed Servais said after his team only scored one time out of the three triples they hit against the Jackrabbits.
“That has to change here soon. We’ve started to make more contact, firmer contact. We’re driving the ball, but we have to find a way to do it with runners at third base. When there is a runner at third base we’re hitting way too many weak ground balls or striking out in that situation.”
Those struggles showed up early in the game when Creighton had a chance to break open a nice lead in the bottom of the second inning after the first three hitters reached via base on balls. With the bases loaded and no outs sophomore right fielder Kevin Connolly lined an RBI single into center field to score junior left fielder Brett Murray from third base and give the Bluejays a 1-0 lead. That was all they got, however, as an opportunity to tack on more runs was spoiled when South Dakota State sophomore right-hander Ryan Froom retired the next three hitters, including the final two courtesy of the strikeout to leave the bases loaded and minimize the damage.
Ryan Fitzgerald holds on for dear life at second base (WBR/Mike Spomer)
Trailing by a run, the Jackrabbits took full advantage of Creighton miscues in the top of the third inning. Junior shortstop Cody Sharrow and junior center fielder Zach Coppola each singled through left side of the infield to put two aboard with one out. Then two straight wild pitches by Creighton junior right-hander Connor Miller scored Sharrow to tie the game. Coppola crossed the plate a few pitches later when freshman second baseman Tony Kjolsing grounded to third. The Bluejays opted to take the second out, while the Jackrabbits took their second run and the lead.
Local product Connor Miller made his first start for Creighton against South Dakota State (WBR/Mike Spomer)
In the top of the sixth inning, Bluejay junior reliever Nick Highberger worked out of a bases loaded, two-out jam and his offense picked him up in the bottom half. After consecutive singles by Murray and junior first baseman Reagan Fowler, junior designated hitter Harrison Crawford drew a five-pitch walk to load the bases just as he did back in the second inning. Once again it was Kevin Connolly who came through with the bags juiced. The Omaha Creighton Prep standout hit a chopper between the mound and third base, and the only play Jackrabbit third baseman Newt Johnson could make was to take the out at first, allowing the tying run to score.
“I was just happy to be in those situations tonight,” said Connolly of getting chances with the bases loaded. “I put a good swing on one of them, and I was lucky to drive another guy on the next one.”
Connolly, who extended his hitting streak to seven games, is hitting .343 and has driven in seven runs during the first 10 games in the month of March thus far. He said he’s just trying to put the ball in play and make the defense have to work, especially with runners in scoring position.
“It’s huge. Bases loaded you have to put the ball in play. That’s all I’m trying to do. I’m trying to drive it and make sure I put it in play.”
Brett Murray to advance to third on the game-tying ground out by Connolly, and scampered home for the go-ahead run when South Dakota State reliever Ethan Kenkel unloaded a wild pitch to the next hitter to give the Bluejays a 3-2 lead heading to the seventh inning.
Brett Murray scored the go-ahead run for the Bluejays against South Dakota State (WBR/Mike Spomer)
In the seventh, the Jackrabbits got two aboard with one out and executed a double steal to put both men in scoring position as they tried to take the lead back. However, Creighton lefty reliever Will Bamesberger got South Dakota State clean-up hitter Matt Johnson to go down swinging at a breaking ball on the outside part of the plate. Bamesberger then gave way to redshirt freshman right-hander Ethan DeCaster who got Jackrabbit designated hitter Jesse Munsterman looking at strike three to strand the threat.
“Will kept his composure, struck that guy out, and then Ethan came in and got the next guy on a strike out. To me that was really the game right there,” Servais said. “Especially when they came in and ran a double steal on [Bamesberger’s] first pitch.”
The Bluejays capitalized on the momentum when sophomore shortstop Nicky Lopez followed up a one-out triple by sophomore center fielder Daniel Woodrow with a three-bagger of his own to plate a fourth run and give his bullpen a two-run lead.
That was more than enough run support for DeCaster and sophomore righty David Gerber, who together allowed only one base runner out of the eight hitters they faced in the final 2.1 innings of work. DeCaster struck out two hitters before giving way to Gerber who struck out one in a 12-pitch ninth inning to earn his third save and close out Creighton’s fifth win in the last six games.
The Bluejays will have Wednesday and Thursday off before taking traveling to New York to play a three-game series against the Stony Brook Seawolves (7-9), winners of five of their last seven, including an 11-2 result against Iona on Tuesday night while Creighton was holding off South Dakota State. Ed Servais said he doesn’t expect the nice Omaha weather to follow them out east, but he is excited to see his team take on a school that reached the College World Series after winning the Baton Rouge Super Regional against perennial power Louisiana State back in 2012.
“I’ve never been out there obviously and have not played these guys. I understand the weather is not going to be 88 like it was on Monday in Omaha,” Servais said. “Probably anticipating mid-30s, so it was probably good for us to play in cooler weather tonight to get ready for that. They play on turf there, so we believe we’ll get our games in.
“I think we’re ready to go on the road again. We’ve been playing pretty good on the road — we’re 6-4, so I think the guys are anxious to get out there and play a team that’s played in the World Series. We’ll layer up, go out there, and see what we can do.”