Creighton University
Northern Colorado
Bluejays Bash Bears, 11-0, in Softball
3/11/2007 3:00:00 AM | Softball
GREELEY, Colo. A five-run seventh-inning capped an 11-0 victory over Northern Colorado for the Creighton softball team Sunday, as the Bluejays (11-4) completed a three-game sweep of the Bears (3-21). Three Bluejay freshmen homered in the victory, while Amanda Hess threw four innings of no-hit ball to pick up the win.
The Bluejays scored three runs in the third inning to open the scoring. Senior Jamie Reiss drove in the first two runs with a triple to left center, scoring Lau Emmsley-Chang and Jessica Wakasugi. Bailey Dawson followed the Reiss triple with a double to make the score 3-0 after three innings.
CU tacked on two more runs in the fourth, again kick started by Emmsley-Chang. The Bluejay right fielder smacked a double to left field with one out and advanced to third on a fly ball to right. Emmsley-Chang came in to score on an infield hit by Jessica Wakasugi. After Wakasugi stole second, she scored on an RBI single by Reiss, giving the Jays a five-run lead after four.
The rookie home run surge then started. Michelle Graner smashed her second home run of the weekend and her third of the year to lead off the fifth inning.
The Bluejays then used back-to-back pinch-hit round-trippers by freshmen to open their five-run seventh. Renae Sinkler crushed a homer to open the frame, and Kaycee Points followed. Both bombs were the first in the careers of Sinkler and Points. Another freshman pinch-hitter, Kristi Meneely followed the homers with a single. CU would push three more runs across the plate in the inning to conclude scoring in the romp.
Creighton tied its season-high with 15 hits, led by a 3-for-4, four RBI game from Reiss. Emmsley-Chang finished 2-for-2 with two runs scored, while Wakasugi was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. Eleven different Bluejays collected a base-hit in the game.
Hess pitched the first four innings to move to 4-2 on the season. The junior right-hander allowed no hits, walked one and struck out six. Sophomore Laura Fonda picked up her first career save, pitching the final three innings. The left-hander allowed three hits, walked two and struck out four.
The Bluejays return to play on Wednesday when they travel to UMKC for a doubleheader. Creighton and the Kangaroos will start the twin bill at 2 p.m. CU will then return to Omaha for its home-opener on Thursday in a doubleheader against North Dakota State.
