Redshirt freshman Tommy Strunc struck out eight in 7.1 innings and sophomore second baseman Jake Peter delivered a three-run single in the second inning to break the game open as the Creighton Bluejays improved to 9-3 on the season with a 7-2 win over the Pacific Tigers in game one of a three-game series at TD Ameritrade Park.
Strunc (3-0, 3.91 ERA), a redshirt freshman out of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, was on his game from the very first pitch, striking out two in a scoreless first inning. Pacific starter Mike Hager (0-2, 5.40 ERA) wasn’t as sharp and Creighton made him pay early and often. After striking out Bluejay lead-off hitter Brad McKewon, Hager loaded the bases by hitting third baseman Frederico Castagnini with a 2-2 pitch, allowing a single to Peter, and issuing a five-pitch walk to center fielder Mike Gerber. Shortstop Alex Staehely then flew out to Pacific center fielder Tyler Sullivan. Castagnini tagged and scored on the play, but Gerber was thrown out trying to advance to second and Jays only had a 1-0 lead heading to the second inning despite the bases-loaded and one-out situation.
After another scoreless inning by Strunc, the Jays opened the game up in the second inning. With two outs and runners on first and second Hager hit McKewon to load the bases. He then walked Castagnini to plate the second run of the game for the Jays. After Castagnini’s walk, Peter, who finished 4-for-5 with 3 RBI on the evening, cleared the bases with a sharp single up the middle that ricocheted off second base and into the outfield.
“I worked [Hager] to a full count and I was just sitting fastball,” Peter said. “I knew I was going to get it. I missed the one before to get to a full count, but I knew he was going to come back with it. Just stayed on it, hit it hard back up the middle, and got a lucky bounce off the bag.”
The three-run single gave Creighton a 4-0 lead, which proved to be more than enough for Strunc. The right-hander was in cruise control as he retired 15 of the next 17 hitters he faced after Peter and company staked him to the early four-run lead.
“In the first inning I had some nerves going, I was a little jittery. Once I got out there and get in my groove I started having fun,” Strunc said after the game.
Strunc’s eight strikeouts tied a season-high as he also punched out eight hitters over five innings exactly one week ago in a 4-2 win over Arkansas Little-Rock. Overall it’s been an impressive start to his Bluejay career as he tries to lay claim to the coveted Friday starter role, a role Creighton head coach Ed Servais says is still to be decided.
“It’s between him and Nick [Musec] tomorrow. We’ll evaluate Nick’s performance tomorrow,” said Coach Servais. “The thing that Nick has over Tommy is experience, and sometimes experience when you get into conference play means a lot. But Tom didn’t hurt himself tonight. He was sharp and Pacific has beaten some good clubs, such as Arkansas, TCU, and UNLV this year. Those are three pretty good clubs so Tommy neutralized them pretty well until he ran out of gas in the eighth inning.”
Creighton and Pacific will meet in game two of this series Saturday afternoon. First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m. at TD Ameritrade Park.
Probable Starters:
Creighton – Nick Musec (0-1 5.02 era)
Pacific – Cory Popham (1-0 2.25 era)
Box Score:
Pacific: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 3 2
Creighton: 1 4 0 0 2 0 0 0 X 7 9 0
W: Strunc (3-0) 7.1 ip, 3 h, 2 r, 2 er, 4 bb, 8 k
L: Hager (0-2) 4.0 ip, 6 h, 5 r, 5 er, 3 bb, 2 k