There’s no surer signal that spring is right around the corner than the return of baseball, and Friday afternoon Creighton opened its’ defense of the MVC title by taking on Central Arkansas. In a rare treat for an early-season road game, both audio and video feeds were available via free webcast, giving Jays fans something to listen (or watch) in the backgrounds at their desk as they wrapped up the week.
The Jays wasted no time in kicking off the 2012 version of ServaisBall, as they plated a run in the top of the first without a hit. Chance Ross drew a walk, and advanced to second on a groundout by Nick Judkins. Then Anthony Bemboom drew the second walk of the inning, and Scott Thornburg was hit by a pitch to load the bases with just one out. A four-pitch walk to Mike Gerber forced home a run, and the Jays had manufactured a 1-0 lead. Strikeouts to Alex Staehely and Brennan Murphy ended the inning, as the Jays stranded the bases loaded.
In the second, Creighton used small ball to plate two more runs. With one out, Brad McKewon hit a groundball that was booted by Central Arkansas’ shortstop Garrett Brown, who compounded the error with a wild throw allowed McKewon to advance to second. After a groundout to third by Ross, Judkins slapped a single to right to score McKewon. The throw came home, allowing Judkins to alertly take an extra base. A walk to Bemboom followed — his second walk in as many plate appearances — to put runners at first and second with two outs. Thornburg crushed the Jays’ first extra-base hit of the young season, a gapper to left that plated Judkins for a 3-0 lead. Bemboom would be stranded at third, however, as Gerber fanned swinging to end the inning.
Meanwhile, Creighton ace Ty Blach was in midseason form, giving up just two hits and one run while striking out six batters. He departed after five innings with a 4-1 lead, turning the game over to Mark Winkleman. The lefthander got his season off to a nice start, striking out the first batter he faced and then retiring the next two on harmless groundballs to his infielders. Returning for the seventh, Winkleman gave up a leadoff double to Travis Snider, followed by a sharp single to center by Bryan Willson (yes, with two “L”s) to put runners at the corners. Regrouping, Winkleman was able to get Blake Marchal to ground into a double play. On the play, Snider scored to cut the lead to 4-2, but with the bases now empty, Winkleman was able to strike out Logan Moon to end the inning.
Winkleman would get himself into trouble again in the eighth. After retiring the first batter, a walk and a single put runners at first and second. He was able to get Ethan Harris to fly out to center, advancing the lead runner, for the second out of the inning before departing in favor of Kurt Spomer. The Jays’ closer fanned Blake Roberts to end the threat, stranding runners at the corners and preserving the 4-2 lead.
Two singles in the ninth plated a third run for Central Arkansas, but Spomer was able to slam the door shut on the comeback attempt with a groundball to short ending the game and earning Ed Servais his 300th win as head coach at Creighton.
On Saturday, Brandon Koenigstein took the hill for a Jays team looking to start 2-0 for the third straight season. In the early innings, a pitchers’ duel ensued as Koenigstein battled with Central Arkansas’ newcomer Caleb McClanahan.
Creighton broke the scoreless tie in the fourth with an unearned run. Scott Thornburg led off with a single, and Mike Gerber laid down a bunt to the left side of the infield to attempt to advance him. The throw from third-baseman Blake Roberts sailed wild, putting runners at first and second with no outs. Alex Staehely hit a comebacker to the mound that served the same purpose as a sac bunt, advancing both runners up a base. A groundout to second by Brennan Murphy scored Thornberg for the 1-0 lead.
In the fifth, the Jays extended the lead when Anthony Bemboom laced an RBI single up the middle scoring Michael Mutcheson and Chance Ross. Mutcheson led off the inning by walking and stealing second. Ross drew the second free pass of the inning, and both runners advanced on a groundout by Nick Judkins setting up the RBI single from Bemboom.
Koenigstein surrendered two runs in the bottom of the frame, exiting with a 3-2 lead. For his first outing of the season, a line of 4-2/3 innings pitched with six hits and two earned runs while striking out four against only one walk was mighty impressive.
Erik Mattingly, who had preserved the 3-2 lead by getting the final out of the fifth, started the sixth by giving up back-t0-back singles with one out. Chase Webb came in throwing gas, striking out both Doug Votolato and Jonathan Davis on three pitches each, to keep the Jays in front.
Central Arkansas tied it up in the seventh. A single and a groundout put the tying run in scoring position with one out, and two consecutive walks loaded the bases. Travis Snider smacked a ball up the middle that glanced off Webb’s glove, preventing his middle infielders from making a potential inning-ending double play. Instead, Webb’s only play was to first, notching the second out but allowing the tying run to score. He’d escape further damage by getting Bryan Willson to fly out to center.
The game remained tied 3-3 going into extra innings. Creighton battled around in the 10th, scoring four runs on four hits. Judkins led the inning off with a single to center, and after a Bemboom flyout, Thornburg hit a sharp single to left. Mike Gerber socked the first pitch of his at-bat into the left-center field corner, scoring the go-ahead run and advancing Thornburg to third. An Alex Staehely sac fly scored the second run of the inning, and then the wheels came off for UCA.
New pitcher Blake Payne hit the first two batters he faced to load the bases, and Michael Mutcheson hit a single up the middle scoring two more runs to give the Jays a 7-3 lead.
Reese McGraw, who’d worked out of a jam in the ninth, faced just three batters in a scoreless tenth inning as Creighton won their second game of the year.
Sunday afternoon, the Jays looked for a sweep and their first 3-0 start since 2000. Toeing the rubber was Andrew Urban, a JuCo transfer from Hutchinson Community College making his first appearance in a Creighton uniform. He clearly had some butterflies in his first D1 start, walking one batter and plunking another in the first inning, though he was able pick up a strikeout to escape with no damage. Urban settled down nicely after that wild first inning, throwing three scoreless innings and giving up just two hits.
Meanwhile, Creighton’s bats gave them an early lead for the third consecutive day. Chance Ross led off the game with a sharp single through the box, and moments later, Nick Judkins tattooed an 0-1 pitch over the right-field fence for a two-run homer, the Jays’ first longball of the season.
In the second inning, the Jays added two more runs. Alex Staehely smoked a single to center to lead off the inning, and advanced to third on base hit by Brennan Murphy. After Murphy swiped second base, Erik Mattingly — playing left field after pitching in relief on Saturday — hit a sac fly to center that scored Staehely and moved Murphy to third. A Jake Peter single plated Murphy, and the Jays had a 4-0 lead.
Nick Musec came out of the Jays bullpen to start the fourth, and pitched 2-2/3 innings of one-hit, one-run ball to earn the victory. Mark Winkleman, pitching for the second time in the series, got three big outs in the seventh and eighth innings to keep UCA off the board, and Reese McGraw pitched the final 1-2/3, giving up just one hit and no runs to preserve a 5-1 Creighton victory.
Weekend Offensive Leaders: Nick Judkins and Chance Ross both had four hits in 12 at-bats, and both scored three runs. Brennan Murphy and Scott Thornburg also had four hits apiece, scoring two runs each.
Judkins knocked in three runs in the series, including two on the Jays’ only homerun of the weekend. His three RBI were matched by Mike Gerber, who went just 3-12 in the three games but had a big double in the tenth inning on Saturday that swung the game in the Jays’ favor.
Weekend Pitching Stars: Ty Blach tossed five innings in the opener, surrendering two hits and one run while striking out six. Andrew Urban was also impressive in his first start as a Bluejay, throwing three shutout innings on Sunday.
Reese McGraw made two appearances out of the bullpen, throwing 3-1/3 shutout innings with three strikeouts. Mark Winkleman also made two appearances out of the ‘pen, tossing 3-2/3 innings and giving up just one run.
Next Up: Creighton travels to Portland, Oregon for a three-game series next Friday-Sunday against Portland University.
