Thursday, March 22
CU Sports Complex
TBA
Creighton University
8
vs
0
South Dakota State
Graner Hits School Record Three Home Runs, Softball Splits Doubleheader
3/22/2007 3:00:00 AM | Softball
OMAHA, Neb. Freshman Michelle Graner connected for a Creighton record three home runs to lead the Bluejays to an 8-0 win over South Dakota State in game one of a doubleheader, before the Jackrabbits (10-14) topped the Jays 11-3 in game two. Graner doubled her season home run output with the three round-trippers in the opening game as the Jays moved to 19-6 after the doubleheader split.
After Graner was retired in the first inning, she homered in three consecutive at bats, starting with a solo home run to right field in the third inning to give the Jays their first run of the game.
Creighton put up four runs in the fifth inning behind another Graner homer and a TJ Eadus blast. Bailey Dawson singled to lead off the inning and then scored when Eadus blasted her team-leading eighth home run of the year. Graner followed the Eadus long fly with a towering bomb to left field for back-to-back home runs. An SDSU error allowed the fourth run of the inning to score, putting the Jays up by five after five.
Dawson led off the next inning with a double to center field, followed by an Eadus single to left. After a wild pitch allowed Dawson to score, Graner ended the game due to the mercy rule with her record-setting shot. The Omaha Burke graduate sent a full count pitch from Kim Westendorf over the left field fence on a line for her sixth home run of the season.
While the CU offense pounded out 13 hits, junior Amanda Hess was dominant in the circle. The right-hander picked up her seventh win to move to 7-3 on the year, while allowing only one hit and striking out eight in six innings of work.
Graner went 3-for-4 with three runs and four RBI in the game, while Dawson also finished 3-for-4. Eadus went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Renae Sinkler also added a pair of hits.
The Jackrabbits exacted revenge in game two, earning an eight-run win of their own. The CU defense committed five errors, as the 11 runs surrendered were the most by the Bluejays since allowing 14 to No. 13 Oklahoma on Feb. 19, 2005. The 14 hits allowed to SDSU were the most allowed by a CU pitching staff since Illinois State notched 15 base knocks against the Jays on March 16, 2002.
Jamie Reiss led off the first inning with a double, extending her hitting streak to 15 games. The third baseman came around to score on a fielder's choice RBI by Sinkler to give the Jays a 1-0 lead. The lead was short-lived as the Jackrabbits jumped on the Jays for three runs in the second and three more in the third. Three errors and a wild pitch helped lead to the three second-inning runs, while a three-run home run by Steph Kuhl provided the SDSU runs in the third.
Reiss smacked a single through the right side in the fourth, scoring Lau Emmsley-Chang to cut into the Jackrabbit lead. The Jackrabbits responded with a run in their next at bat to push ahead 7-2. The Bluejays scored a run when Sinkler reached on an error by the SDSU shortstop in the bottom of the fifth, making the score 7-3 in favor of the Jacks after five.
CU's final error of the game cost it another unearned run, as the Jackrabbits scored three in the sixth inning. The Jackrabbits scored the final tally of the game in the seventh to push the final to 11-3.
Sophomore Cassidy Nee (0-1) took the loss, going 2.1 innings. The right-hander allowed six hits, six runs, four earned, while walking one and committing two errors along with three strikeouts. Laura Fonda pitched the final 4.2 innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits, while walking one and striking out three. CU managed seven hits in the game, two each from Reiss and Laura Kratochvil.
Creighton returns to action at home on Saturday against Wichita State. The Jays and Shockers will play a doubleheader beginning at noon at the CU Sports Complex, before completing the series with a single game Sunday at noon.
After Graner was retired in the first inning, she homered in three consecutive at bats, starting with a solo home run to right field in the third inning to give the Jays their first run of the game.
Creighton put up four runs in the fifth inning behind another Graner homer and a TJ Eadus blast. Bailey Dawson singled to lead off the inning and then scored when Eadus blasted her team-leading eighth home run of the year. Graner followed the Eadus long fly with a towering bomb to left field for back-to-back home runs. An SDSU error allowed the fourth run of the inning to score, putting the Jays up by five after five.
Dawson led off the next inning with a double to center field, followed by an Eadus single to left. After a wild pitch allowed Dawson to score, Graner ended the game due to the mercy rule with her record-setting shot. The Omaha Burke graduate sent a full count pitch from Kim Westendorf over the left field fence on a line for her sixth home run of the season.
While the CU offense pounded out 13 hits, junior Amanda Hess was dominant in the circle. The right-hander picked up her seventh win to move to 7-3 on the year, while allowing only one hit and striking out eight in six innings of work.
Graner went 3-for-4 with three runs and four RBI in the game, while Dawson also finished 3-for-4. Eadus went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Renae Sinkler also added a pair of hits.
The Jackrabbits exacted revenge in game two, earning an eight-run win of their own. The CU defense committed five errors, as the 11 runs surrendered were the most by the Bluejays since allowing 14 to No. 13 Oklahoma on Feb. 19, 2005. The 14 hits allowed to SDSU were the most allowed by a CU pitching staff since Illinois State notched 15 base knocks against the Jays on March 16, 2002.
Jamie Reiss led off the first inning with a double, extending her hitting streak to 15 games. The third baseman came around to score on a fielder's choice RBI by Sinkler to give the Jays a 1-0 lead. The lead was short-lived as the Jackrabbits jumped on the Jays for three runs in the second and three more in the third. Three errors and a wild pitch helped lead to the three second-inning runs, while a three-run home run by Steph Kuhl provided the SDSU runs in the third.
Reiss smacked a single through the right side in the fourth, scoring Lau Emmsley-Chang to cut into the Jackrabbit lead. The Jackrabbits responded with a run in their next at bat to push ahead 7-2. The Bluejays scored a run when Sinkler reached on an error by the SDSU shortstop in the bottom of the fifth, making the score 7-3 in favor of the Jacks after five.
CU's final error of the game cost it another unearned run, as the Jackrabbits scored three in the sixth inning. The Jackrabbits scored the final tally of the game in the seventh to push the final to 11-3.
Sophomore Cassidy Nee (0-1) took the loss, going 2.1 innings. The right-hander allowed six hits, six runs, four earned, while walking one and committing two errors along with three strikeouts. Laura Fonda pitched the final 4.2 innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits, while walking one and striking out three. CU managed seven hits in the game, two each from Reiss and Laura Kratochvil.
Creighton returns to action at home on Saturday against Wichita State. The Jays and Shockers will play a doubleheader beginning at noon at the CU Sports Complex, before completing the series with a single game Sunday at noon.
Players Mentioned
SS
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF/1B
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
IF
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