Creighton University
#18/20 Southern Illinois
Softball Tops No. 18 Southern Illinois Twice; Takes Over First Place
4/1/2007 3:00:00 AM | Softball
OMAHA, Neb. Creighton softball moved into first place in the Missouri Valley Conference by sweeping a doubleheader from 18th-ranked Southern Illinois at the Creighton Sports Complex Sunday. The Bluejays won the first game 5-4 in dramatic walk-off fashion and clobbered four home runs for a 12-6 game two victory. Creighton improved to 26-7 overall and 8-1 in the MVC, while handing the Salukis (28-8, 9-2 MVC) their first two Valley losses of the year.
A three-run fifth inning for SIU in game one put the Salukis up 4-2. A solo home run by Jessica German in the sixth inning brought the Jays within one and chased SIU starter Ashley Hamby from the game. The 2006 MVC Pitcher of the Year Cassidy Scoggins relieved Hamby and after giving up a hit to Lau Emmsley-Chang on her first pitch, retired the next to hitters to give SIU a 4-3 lead after six.
After SIU went down in order in the top of the seventh, the Jays rallied for victory. Jamie Reiss led off the frame with a double to right center field and was moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. TJ Eadus flied out to right field to bring SIU within one out of the win. But freshman Michelle Graner doubled to right field to score Reiss with the tying run. Senior Caitlin Marcano followed by taking a 1-0 offering from Scoggins down the left field line scoring Graner with the winning run.
Reiss and Emmsley-Chang both went 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Graner finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Scoggins allowed four hits and two runs in 1.1 innings after Hamby went 5.1 innings. Hamby allowed three runs, one of which was unearned, walked three and struck out two.
Freshman Tara Oltman picked up the win in relief of junior Amanda Hess in game one. Hess tossed 4.2 innings and allowed four runs, walked three and struck out five. Oltman pitched the final 2.1 and allowed only one hit, while fanning three.
A wild game two witnessed four Bluejay home runs and four Saluki errors. CU took the early lead, going up 1-0 after Graner's seventh home run of the year to lead off the second inning. Eadus then drove in a run on a double in the third, as her sky-high fly ball was knocked down by a strong wind and landed in front of Krystal Stein in center field for SIU, giving the Jays a 2-0 edge after three.
The Salukis then took advantage of back-to-back Bluejay errors and misplayed balls in the wind to plate four runs in the fourth and go up by two. Katie Wilson launched a one-out home run to left to get the scoring started for SIU. After consecutive errors by Michelle Koch and Emmsley-Chang, Stein singled to tie the game. Then with two outs, Garza popped a ball up on the infield, but two runs scored as the Bluejay infield could not communicate nor win the battle against a strong wind and the ball landed in front of second base.
Trailing 4-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth, the Bluejays took control of the game with a six-spot in the frame. Marcano, who finished the weekend 5-for-6 against Scoggins, led off the inning with a single. German then followed with a single. After recording an out, Koch made up for her bobble in the field with a line drive blast that cleared the right center field fence for her first career home run. The three-run shot gave the Jays the lead for good, up 5-4. That round-tripper ended Scoggins' day.
Hamby entered and issued a four-pitch walk to Jessica Wakasugi. Reiss next reached base on an error by Alicia Garza. Dawson then hit a deep line drive off the top off the left center field fence for a two-run double and a 7-4 Bluejay lead. Another SIU error allowed the inning to continue and Dawson would eventually cross the plate on a wild pitch.
SIU made the score 8-6 by plating a pair of runs in the sixth inning. Tiffanie Dismore collected an RBI on a double, while Garza's sacrifice fly scored Stein with what proved to be SIU's final run.
Creighton again responded to SIU scoring, with four more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Marcano crushed a three-run home run to center and German made it back-to-back jacks with a solo shot. It was Marcano's third homer of the year, while German hit two in the doubleheader to move to four big flies on the season.
Oltman, appearing in her ninth of nine MVC games, earned a complete game victory. The right-hander went seven innings and gave up seven hits, three earned runs, walked four and struck out five. Her 16-3 record leads the MVC in victories.
Scoggins (14-5) again took the loss for SIU. The senior right-hander pitched 3.1 innings, surrendered eight hits and five earned runs, while walking one and striking out four. Hamby gave up seven runs, but only one was earned in 2.1 innings of relief, as Katie McNamara came on to get the final out for SIU.
Marcano finished game two 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Dawson went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored in the night cap, while German and Koch each had a home run and two hits in the game. Koch entered the game with four RBI this year before smashing the three-run home run in the fourth inning.
The four home runs by Creighton marked the second time this season the Jays hit four over the fence in one contest, falling just one shy of the school record. The Jays' 8-1 MVC mark equals the 2005 squad for the best record in Valley play after nine games. The wins were also the first over a ranked team for the Jays' this season.
The first-place Bluejays return to action at Evansville next weekend. CU and UE will play a doubleheader on Friday at noon and conclude the Easter Weekend series on Saturday with a single game at noon.
