Creighton University
Evansville
Solid Relief Pitching Leads Baseball To First MVC Win
3/24/2007 3:00:00 AM | Baseball
With two on and one out in the eighth, the Omaha native (Millard West) knocked an RBI single through the left side to plate Chris Gradoville from third, as the Bluejays took a 4-3 lead. Masten (3-1) finished the afternoon 1-for-3 at the plate with two RBI and picked up his fourth save of the season, pitching the ninth inning allowing no runs and no hits, recording a single strikeout.
Junior Pat Venditte (2-1) was credited with the win, as he pitched 3.2 innings in relief of starter Zak Moore giving up no runs and no hits as well, striking out two.
Moore (1-1), who earned his seventh start of the season, went 4.1 innings on the day giving just one earned run on eight hits as he sat down two UE batters.
The Jays started their scoring in the top half of the first with a single run and would add two in the fourth, before taking the lead with a single run in the top half of the eighth. The Purple Aces got their scoring with two runs in the bottom half of the first and added a single run in the fourth.
Getting the scoring started for CU was first baseman Darin Ruf. With two outs and Gradoville on second after a double down the left field line, Ruf pounded an RBI double to center field to give CU an early 1-0 edge.
For Ruf, it was his eighth double on the season as he went on to finish the game 2-for-3 with an RBI. Gradoville would finish 2-for-3 with three runs scored.
UE would counter in the bottom half of the inning though as Kasey Wahl and Pat Tumilty each recorded RBI base hits to right field to give the Purple Aces a 2-1 lead.
The Bluejays wouldn't give in though, as despite UE pitcher Kai Tuomi's solid seven-inning outing, CU kept coming back. Tuomi would finish the game giving up just three runs on six hits, while striking out two.
Tuomi gave up two runs though to the Jays in the top half of the fourth as Masten and Ross Sinclair each collected RBI hits. After Gradoville led off the inning with a single to left center, Ruf advanced him to second on a sacrifice bunt before Andrew Small got runners in scoring position with a double down the left field line. That setup Masten who flied out right field just deep enough to plate Gradoville on a sacrifice fly as CU tied it up at 2-2. Steve Winkelmann then reached on a walk as Sinclair platted Small with an RBI bunt, giving the Bluejays a 3-2 lead.
UE catcher Kirk Bacsu would then tie the game up once again in the bottom of the fourth as he grounded out to short with two on, allowing Robbie Minor to score from third. Venditte would come in then though for the Jays in relief and wouldn't allow another Aces hit, as he bounced back nicely from a tough outing the night before.
Venditte and Masten allowed just one UE runner on base in the last four innings, as CU improved to 13-8 on the season and 1-1 in MVC play. The loss dropped the Purple Aces to 16-8 on the year and 1-1 in MVC, as their seven-game win streak was snapped.
The two teams will meet again on Sunday to conclude their three-game set with a 1 p.m. first pitch. Junior Ben Mancuso (2-0) will being going for his third win of the season against UE's Fred Jones. The Jays will be looking to win their 11th opening MVC series since 1990 with a win.
