Creighton University
#24/22 Southern Illinois
Eadus, Oltman Key Softball To Valley Tourney Crown
5/12/2007 3:00:00 AM | Softball
NORMAL, Ill. - Tournament MVP TJ Eadus went 3-for-4 with four RBI as the Creighton softball team captured its fourth State Farm Missouri Valley Conference tournament title in the last five years by posting a 6-2 win over 24th-ranked Southern Illinois Saturday afternoon at the Redbird Softball Complex. Creighton improved to 39-12-1 on the season while advancing to its 10th NCAA tournament.
Senior Jamie Reiss, playing in her third MVC tournament championship game, started the contest with a single to set the table for a three-run first inning. Jessica Wakasugi followed with a four-pitch walk and then Bailey Dawson single to right field to score Reiss from second with the first run of the game. Eadus then drove in her first run of the game on a fielder's choice as SIU shorstop's Becky Wegmann's throw home to plate was late and Wakasugi slid home with CU's second run of the first. Caitlin Marcano grounded out to shortstop for the first out of the game, but the ground out scored Dawson to cap the first-inning scoring for the Jays.
SIU (40-14) scored its first run of the game in the second inning when Katie Wilson took Tara Oltman's first pitch of the inning over the center field fence.
The Bluejays plated two more runs in the fifth inning on Eadus' 16th home run of the year. Dawson reached on a one-out single to chase SIU starter Cassidy Scoggins from the game. Eadus then welcomed relief pitcher Ashley Hamby to the game with a towering blast over the center field fence to put the Bluejays up 5-1 after five.
SIU would plate a run in the sixth to cut into the CU lead, but the Jays added an insurance run in the top of the seventh on another Eadus RBI. The all-MVC catcher smacked her second double of the game down the left field line to plate Wakasugi who had led off the inning with a single.
Oltman retired the side in order just once in the game, setting down the only three hitters she faced in the seventh, striking out Jayme Wamsley to end the game and secure Creighton's fifth MVC Tournament title. The MVC Newcomer and Pitcher of the year improved to 25-7 with the win, as she scattered nine SIU hits, allowed two runs and struck out eight as she was also tabbed to the MVC All-Tournament Team.
Eadus went 4-for-7 with two home runs, two doubles and six RBI in Creighton's two tournament games to earn the MVP honor. Eadus and Oltman were joined by Reiss and Dawson on the all-tournament team. Reiss led off both games with a single and scored in the first inning in both, while Dawson was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored in the championship game.
Scoggins, last year's MVC Pitcher of the Year dropped to 21-9 in the loss. The right-hander tossed 4.1 innings and gave up four runs on five hits.
The Bluejays will learn of their NCAA Tournament destination and opponent on Sunday as the brackets will be announced on ESPNews between 2 and 2:30 p.m. The team will get together at DJ's Dugout at 114th and Dodge at that time, and fans are invited to join them to celebrate the regular-season and tournament titles.
NOTES: Creighton becomes the first team to win the regular-season and tournament championship in the same season since Illinois State in 2001 ? The tournament title is CU's fifth all-time (1999, 2003-05, 2007) ? Creighton is now 31-18 all-time in the MVC Tournament, 13-2 in their last 15 Valley postseason games ? CU has appeared in seven of the last nine MVC championship games ? CU has won six straight MVC Tournament games against SIU ? The Jays are now 5-4-1 against top-25 teams this year, including 3-1 against SIU ? CU is now 8-0 in neutral site games this year ? Eadus now leads the team with 42 RBI, just one shy of current assistant coach Abby Johnson's record 43 ? Dawson now has 41 RBI ? Caitlin Marcano is now 13-for-30 against top 25 teams this year (.433) ? Oltman's final strikeout of the game was her 200th of the season, joining former CU All-American Tammy Nielsen as the only players in school history to record 200 Ks in a year ? Creighton also advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2003, 2004 and 2005.
