Jason Allbery drove in 3 big runs for the Bluejays tonight (Spomer / WBR) $CLICK TO BUY$
Well, it happened.
In a bizarre season of ups and downs, terrible conference play, and solid non-conference victories, the Bluejays’ fever dream season came to its unyielding peak tonight as Creighton did that thing against the boys in red that you and I never thought possible. The Bluejays swept the season series against the Huskers with a 5-4 win on Tuesday night.
If this is real life, I certainly want to sorta keep livin’ it.
The Jays managed to strike first in the top of the first after Clark Brinkman swatted a base hit into left center field. Mark Waldron threw to first roughly seven times, nearly getting him on one of those, yet still somehow yielded second base to the speedy leadoff hitter for the Jays.
With Brinkman’s steal, Isaac Collins waited patiently in the box for Waldron’s occupied mind to show itself in the strike zone as he worked a walk giving the Jays two runners on and nobody out. Mike Emodi, who has been in a bit of a slump in his more recent visits to the dish, managed to beat out a potential double play ball on a grounder up the middle. With Collins out at second, the Jays had runners on the corners and just one down, and the mighty Will Robertson at the plate.
Robertson did his job well, lofting a ball into medium-deep right center, giving plenty of time for Brinkman to trot home from third after Mojo Hagge squeezed the out in his glove.
1-0, Bluejays.
Nebraska eventually got to Creighton starter Denson Hull in the bottom of the second, with Luke Roskam doubling over Robertson’s head in right, getting bumped to second on a sac bunt, then driven home on a base hit from Jaxon Hallmark.
Creighton had an opportunity to strike again in the top of the third with a leadoff double from Clark Brinkman. Brinkman wheeled to third on an absolutely face-melting bunt base hit by Isaac Collins, giving the Jays runners on the corners and no one out. Emodi then chopped one to third, with Brinkman holding off on trying to take home, and Roskam fired to second for a fielder’s choice out. Robertson then grounded to first, with Brinkman trying to take home on contact.
No dice.
Brinkman got cut down and the threat suddenly fizzled into thin air as the inning ended without a single run.
No muss, no fuss, however, as the Jays tacked one on in the next frame, starting with a Tommy Luevano single to left field. With Waldron beginning to labor after throwing more pickoffs than pitches, Ryan “Heider’s Comet” Mantle sac bunted to third to move Luevano to second.
With one out, Jason Allbery poked a single through the left side. With Hagge playing medium depth, it took him a bit to charge the ball, but Servais sent Sweet Tommy Lue to the dish, and Hagge’s throw was cutoff by Waldron when it reached the infield.
2-1, Jays.
Hull was magnificent through five innings of work Tuesday night. From the final two batters of the bottom of the second to the bottom of the sixth, Hull managed to retire eleven consecutive batters, including a 5-pitch fourth inning. His pace and demeanor on the mound was thrilling in its simplicity.
It was in the sixth inning where trouble began to brew. Mojo Hagge led off the inning with a double that sliced just fair down the left field line. Schreiber then lifted a ball to Will Robertson in right with Hagge tagging. Robertson threw an absolute laser to third, one hopping it and beating Hagge to the bag, but Luevano was just a bit out of position for the tag. It was certainly close, perhaps controversial, and coach Servais argued the call.
Alas, it stood. Hagge safe at third.
Hull proceeded to walk Wilkening giving the Huskers runners on the corners and one out. Gunner Hellstrom worked a full count on some… questionable ball calls, and then lifted a ball into center for Brinkman, giving Hagge plenty of time to score from third.
Tie Ballgame.
Grant Spranger came on to close things out in the sixth, and did so in his usual fashion of tossing some absolutely filthy sliders, sending Roskam into a fit of flurries as he waved the bat to no avail.
The Jays went down in order in the top of the 7th against Ben Klenke, the kid who’d never pitched in a D1 game before and then shut down the Jays in the game in Lincoln. He proceeded to replicate his oppressive ways against the Jays in the inning, forcing a pair of groundouts and a fly out to deep center off the bat of Isaac Collins.
Spranger returned to the mound in the bottom half of the inning and proceeded to walk the first batter he faced in Angelo Altavilla. Spranger then got a half hearted swing out of Jaxon Hallmark to set him down on strikes, then fielded a *SURPRISE!* sac bunt attempt by Alex Henwood, a ball put into no man’s land between the pitcher and first, yet Spranger utilized his 80-grade speed to track the ball down and make a perfect toss to Allbery waiting on first.
This left Carter Cross, a freshman, at the dish with a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the 7th in a hotly contested rivalry game. He proceeded to slap a hot liner to center field, where Clark Brinkman tracked the ball almost immediately off the bat and made an excellent diving catch in center to end the inning.
Mike Emodi started off the inning with a base knock to left. He then took second on a passed ball, which didn’t matter much since Will Robertson proceeded to draw a walk.
“Need me to bunt coach?” Jack Strunc laid one down at the right time for the Bluejays on Tuesday night (Spomer/WBR) $CLICK TO BUY$
That left Jack Strunc and Ed Servais with a conundrum: let the kid swing away, or pull the genius move and make him bunt?
Well, Strunc successfully sac bunted, and it was absolutely gorgeous. With Emodi and Robertson both in scoring position and one out, Nebraska chose to intentionally walk Tommy Luevano to get to Ryan Mantle. Mantle then lifted one deep enough into right center to score Emodi from home.
Max Schrieber, who inherited Emodi and Robertson, then proceeded to balk and give the Jays runners in scoring position again, this time for Jason Allbery.
Allbery delivered, sending a ball into left, and scoring both runs, giving the Jays three runs on the inning and potentially pulling them ahead for good.
Well, that was the plan, at least.
Jonah Smith proceeded to walk Mojo Hagge. From there he allowed a single to Scott Schreiber, moving Hagge to third, and then a double to Wilkening, scoring Hagge and putting runners on second and third with nobody out.
Ed Servais went to the bullpen, pulling out proven closer Bobby Kametas to try to tickle the strike zone and acquire some outs.
He did just that.
Though the first batter he faced bombed a ball into deep left field, defensive replacement Nick Ortega managed to get a great break and track the ball down. This scored a run, making it 5-4, but Bobby wasn’t going to let that runner for second move. When Roskam approached the dish with the lefty-righty advantage, Servais intentionally walked him to get to Angelo Altavilla.
Altavilla flew out to shallow center field.
Two outs.
Hallmark then poked a grounder to third for the sure-handed Luevano to field and throw cleanly to second, ending the inning.
The Jays went three up, three down in the top of the 9th. Bobby Kametas trotted back out onto that hill and prepared for whatever mayhem he’d endure.
It was mayhem indeed.
Kametas started off walking Alex Henwood. Henwood took second on a sac bunt from Cross, giving the Huskers the tying run just 180 feet away. Hagge followed with a base knock straight up the middle, but Henwood hesitated and ended up moving to third.
Enter: Scott Schreiber.
Schreiber fouled off Kametas’ first two offerings. Then, on the third pitch, Schreiber waved at a slider. Kametas struck him out.
Kametas’ first pitch to Jesse Wilkening was lined into left field, but the speedy Ortega got a quick hop on the ball, squeezing it in his glove. Out number three.
Game.
Set.
Sweep.
History.
Jonah Smith got credited with the win. Ben Klenke got hit with the loss. Bobby F*cking Kametas got the save.
Jays improve to 27-15 overall. Nebraska dropped to 22-24. Creighton heads back out to the field on Wednesday night for a game against Nebraska-Omaha at Werner Park.