Friday, April 26, 2013: Creighton 5, Nebraska 3
Seventeen days ago the Creighton Bluejays and Nebraska Cornhuskers were supposed to kick off their annual in-state rivalry at Hawks Field in Lincoln. Like seven other times prior to that game, the Bluejays were forced to cancel that game due to weather-related issues. Then, just a few days ahead of the teams’ second scheduled meeting, the Bluejays suffered another significant blow. Junior center fielder and clean-up hitter Mike Gerber, the team’s leader in home runs (4) and RBI (28), had surgery to remove his appendix after experiencing discomfort in practice.
Senior Michael Blatchford stepped into the lineup against Nebraska in place of Gerber, recording two hits and driving in a run despite entering the contest with a .160 batting average. Although Gerber’s injury was a blow to the team, Blatchford says he was ready for the chance.
“You have to be ready at all times,” he said. “Coach [Servais] always talks about guys going down and something happening that you can’t control. Everybody just has to be ready to go no matter what the situation is.”
Blatchford’s RBI came on single in the top of the fourth, and it gave the Bluejays a two-run lead after Nebraska had cut it to one in the bottom of the third.
Reagan Fowler celebrates at second base during Creighton’s game against Nebraska (Mike Spomer/WBR)
Friday starter and redshirt freshman Tommy Strunc had another solid outing for the Bluejays. The Creighton ace went six strong innings, allowing just one run, and striking out five in his first appearance against the Bluejays’ in-state rivals. He was admittedly nervous prior to the start, but RBI by senior Alex Staehely and fellow redshirt freshman Reagan Fowler in the top of first helped the young right-hander settle in to the game.
“Those first two runs that came up were a definite sigh of relief, because you can go out and pitch a little bit more relaxed,” Strunc said. “To know that your team is there behind you going to put up some run support is always a comfort,” he added.
A victory in a rivalry game is never supposed to be easy and this one was no different. Trailing 4-1 entering the bottom of the seventh, the Huskers chased Strunc and loaded the bases with nobody out. They pushed across two runs and cut Creighton’s lead to 4-3. In the ninth inning, Creighton got a big boost from the player who has done it all for them all season long, sophomore second baseman/closer Jake Peter.
With one out in the ninth, Peter drove an RBI single into left field to bring home lead-off hitter Brad McKewon and make it 5-3 Creighton. In the bottom of the inning he mowed over the side, earning his team-leading sixth save of the season, and giving the Creighton the bragging rights after game one against the Huskers
Play of the Game: Creighton second baseman/closer Jake Peter’s RBI single in the top of the ninth.
Creighton head coach Ed Servais:
“To come back and score one in the top of the ninth relaxed us a little bit, and gave Jake a little bit of wiggle room, and you could see the pressure mounting on [Nebraska] a little bit.”
Creighton 2B/P Jake Peter:
“[The run] was definitely huge. It’s a lot easier to go out there and pitch when you have a two-run lead instead of a one-run lead. Obviously we still had to be sharp in the bottom of the ninth, but it gives us a little cushion and makes us relax a little bit.”
Player of the Game: Jake Peter (2-5, R, RBI; 1 IP, 2 K, SV)
- Win: Tommy Strunc (6-1)
- Loss: Christian DeLeon (5-3)
- Save: Jake Peter (6)
- Time: 2 hr 46 min
- Attendance: 8,395
Saturday, April 27, 2013: Creighton 3, Rutgers 2
As Creighton’s second game of the TD Ameritrade Classic wore on Saturday evening, it grew more apparent that the Bluejays were suffering a hangover from their win against the Huskers the day before.
In the first three innings against Rutgers Creighton had runners picked off the base paths, the first of which came after drawing a walk when Brennan Murphy rounded too far off first base after the ball got by the catcher. Murphy got caught in a run down and was eventually tagged out. Miscues like that, combined with an inability to drive in runs, had Creighton playing from behind for the majority of the game. The Jays left 13 men on base in this game, managing only six hits, including a 0-8 mark with runners in scoring position heading into the final inning.
Creighton trailed 2-1 going into the bottom of the ninth, but once again a ball off the bat of Jake Peter sparked the late-game heroics for the Bluejays. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Peter sent a ground ball up the middle. Rutgers shortstop Pat Sweeney made a diving stop to keep the ball from going into center field. Thinking he had prevented the tying run from scoring he casually got up to pick up the ball only to realize that Brad McKewon, playing center field for Creighton in place of the injured Mike Gerber, had already rounded third and was heading for home. Sweeney didn’t have time to set his feet and his throw was off line as McKewon slid in to tie the game with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
The Bluejays bench tries to cheer on a CU rally against Rutgers in the TD Ameritrade Classic (Mike Spomer/WBR)
Creighton third base coach Spencer Allen said he wasn’t going to hold McKewon up on that play given Creighton’s struggles hitting the ball throughout the game.
“We just didn’t have a lot of hits, we just weren’t finding a lot of holes, so we had to be aggressive,” he said. “I saw it pop out of his glove. I was perpendicular to him, and thought it went a little further, but as soon as I saw it pop I knew we had to try it, and we caught a break,” Allen added.
Creighton head coach Ed Servais praised his third base coach’s decision to send McKewon on that play.
“I give Coach Allen a lot of credit for sending the runner and being super aggressive,” Servais said. “He knew it wasn’t a very good offensive game on our part, and when you sense that as a base coach you have to be a little bit more aggressive, so tip your hat to him… He stole the run in the ninth to get it tied up.”
Creighton reserve closer Bryan Sova threw a career-high 3.2 innings of scoreless ball and carried Creighton into the 11th inning. After allowing a one-out double, he gave way to regular closer Jake Peter who struck out the next two hitters and set up more heroics in the bottom of the frame.
With two outs in the 11th inning and runners on first and second, Bluejay first baseman Reagan Fowler sent a ball down the first base line and past a diving Charlie Law at first base. The ball rolled down the left field line, allowing McKewon to score the winning run as the Creighton dugout cleared to celebrate the walk-off hit.
Play of the Game: Creighton first baseman Reagan Fowler’s walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning.
Creighton head coach Ed Servais:
“Reagan hasn’t swung as well since he came back from his concussion, so it’s nice to see him do that, because he was really hot there for a while. It’s hard when you don’t play for a week and a half. Your timing is going to get disrupted. His timing is slowly but surely coming back a little bit. What a great opportunity for him to get that hit, I’m sure that’s going to help him get back on the beam again. With Mike [Gerber] out we’re going to need another bat to get started, and Reagan’s that guy.”
Creighton 2B/P Jake Peter:
“’Reggie’ came up with the big hit there to give us the win. These games are huge for us. It gives us a little taste of what playoff baseball might be like. These games are intense and that’s what we need.”
Creighton 1B Reagan Fowler:
“It had been a rough game. Three K’s, I don’t think I’ve ever done that before. On that last at-bat I just forgot about the other ones was just looking for a fastball. I got it and I just put a good swing on it.”
Player of the Game: Creighton 2B/P Jake Peter (2-5, RBI; 0.2 IP, 2 K, W)
Honorable Mention: RP Bryan Sova (3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 54 pitches)
Creighton head coach Ed Servais:
“Bryan Sova deserves a lot of credit for pitching very deep into a game. He’s accustomed to throwing 15-22 pitches and today he threw 54, so you have to give him a lot of credit.”
Creighton relief pitcher Bryan Sova:
“I was just trying to get guys to swing, put the ball on the ground, get it in the air, etc. I have a good defense behind me, so that’s our philosophy. My arm was getting tired. I haven’t gone that long in a while. I was kind of running on fumes. I could’ve gone a little longer, but it was good to get Jake in there.”
- Win: Jake Peter (1-0)
- Loss: Nathaniel Roe (1-2)
- Time: 3 hr 49 min
- Attendance: 5,609
Sunday, April 28, 2013: #24 Oklahoma State 6, Creighton 5
It worked out conveniently that the two remaining undefeated teams in this round robin tournament faced off on Sunday. Oklahoma State defeated Rutgers 4-1 on Friday. They followed that up with by sweeping a doubleheader against Nebraska on Saturday. The Bluejays entered the game on season-high six-game winning streak, while the Cowboys came in having won seven of eight. The two squads didn’t want to give up in this one.
The Cowboys got started in the first, knocking around Creighton starter Austin Groth. The Bluejay freshman limited the damage, though, allowing just one run. Unlike Saturday’s night game against Rutgers, the Creighton offense got started early in this one thanks to a go-ahead two-run single in the bottom of the second by Federico Castagnini.
The early run support allowed Groth to settle in to the game as he retired 10 consecutive OSU hitters after the rough first inning.
“After the first inning Coach Lipari and Coach Servais just told me to be aggressive. Just to throw everything with aggression,” said Groth.
The Cowboys got to Groth again in the fifth and chased him from the game after back-to-back walks sandwiched around a wild pitch. Both runners would eventually score to tie the game 3-3.
After OSU took a 5-3 lead in the top of the eighth inning, the Bluejays got more heroics from their star second baseman, Jake Peter, who was recently named to the 2013 Olerud Award Watch List that honors the best two-way player in the college baseball.
With the Jays behind by two runs, Peter delivered a game-tying, two-run double to right field with two outs to knot the game at 5.
“I was a little tentative in the two previous at-bats, but I was looking for a fastball, that’s what he gave me and I put a good swing on it,” said Peter.
The Creighton stud commended his team for their approach to clutch situations such as that.
“We have a lot of guys who want to be up there in that situation, a lot of guys want to drive in the runs. Just one-through-nine, everybody just wants to go up there and compete. I think that’s really been a positive for us this year. It’s not just one or two guys, it’s everybody, and everyone takes that mentality to the plate,” Peter said.
Creighton’s heroic effort would fall short in this, however. After giving up the lead on an RBI double by Cowboys second baseman Donnie Walton in the top of the ninth, the Jays went down in order in the bottom of the inning as Oklahoma State finished off a 4-0 weekend at the TD Ameritrade Classic, snapping Creighton’s six-game winning streak in the process.
Despite the loss, Creighton head coach Ed Servais was pleased with the effort level of his team.
“That was an excellent college game, and I’m proud of how our guys responded,” he said. “I’m pleased with how we came back in the eighth inning, we just couldn’t quite finish it, but it was a great weekend for us, really. This was three very competitive games, and it will better prepare us for what we have lying ahead,” added Servais.
Play of the Game: Oklahoma State second baseman Donnie Walton’s go-ahead RBI double in the top of the ninth inning.
Player of the Game: Donnie Walton (2-5, 2 RBI; game-tying RBI single in fifth inning, game-winning RBI double in ninth inning)
- Win: Brendan McCurry (6-2)
- Loss: Mark Lukowski (4-2)
- Time: 3 hr 1 min
- Attendance: 4,307