Creighton University
Southern Illinois
Baseball Scores Eight Unanswered In 8-5 Win Over SIU
5/23/2007 3:00:00 AM | Baseball
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Creighton overcame an early 5-0 deficit and switch-pitcher Pat Venditte tossed 5.2 innings of one-hit relief to key the Bluejays to an 8-5 win over Southern Illinois in opening-round action of the 2007 MVC Baseball Tournament.
With the win, Creighton (41-13) advances to tomorrow's 7 pm winner's bracket game against the winner of the Bradley/Evansville game that starts at 3 pm today. Southern Illinois (34-21) drops to a loser's bracket elimination game tomorrow at 11 am between the Missouri State/Wichita State loser.
Venditte faced the minimum 17 batters in 5.2 innings of one-hit relief while improving to 8-2. After entering the game with one out in the fourth, he retired the first 14 batters he faced. Dean Cademartori singled to lead off the ninth, only to be doubled off at first by leftfielder Andrew Small on a shallow fly ball that ended the game. Venditte's scoreless streak now stands at 38.1 innings as he lowered his ERA to a league-best 1.87.
Venditte's relief was vital after the Salukis got into the CU bullpen early and often.
Southern Illinois leadoff man Kevin Koski took the game's first pitch and hit a dribbler back to CU starter Marc Lewis. The slow roller would roll through the senior's legs, and Koski reached base. Koski moved to second on a sac bunt, then would score on a single from Adam Hills. Hills later scored from second when Ross Sinclair misplayed a high fly ball off the bat of Scott Elmendorf into a single, making it 2-0.
The Salukis built their lead to 5-0 in the top of the second inning after scoring three runs with two outs. With runners at second and third, Hills doubled down the third-base line to score Lou Johanns and Koski. For Koski, his second run of the game was also the 190th of his career, breaking the Saluki record held by Joe Schley. Hills later scored on a single by all-Valley catcher Mark Kelly. Kelly's hit knocked out Lewis in his shortest start of the year. Bluejay reliever Casey Schmidt then came on and ended the rally.
Creighton started its comeback with two runs in the bottom of the second. Chad Ogden belted his sixth homer of the season into the left-centerfield bullpen, scoring Steve Winkelmann who had reached via a one-out walk.
The Jays got another run back in the third but left the bases loaded. Sinclair reached on a one-out error and moved to second on a single to short by Chris Gradoville. After moving up 90 feet on a wild pitch, Sinclair scored on a sacrifice fly by Small, trimming the deficit to 5-3.
CU would also leave the bases loaded in the fourth inning. A walk to Ogden and bunt single by Lam started the frame, and after a sac bunt from Robbie Knight, Sinclair was hit by a pitch. However, the rally was short-lived as Gradoville grounded into a 1-2-3 double-play to end the frame.
Creighton tied it in the fifth inning while knocking out Saluki starter Shawn Joy. Darin Ruf walked and raced to third on a double down the third-base line by Small. Both men scored on a bloop single to right-center by Winkelmann, chasing Joy. CU's chance to take a two-run lead ended when Knight's deep drive to left was pulled in by leftfielder Cademartori at the wall to end the fifth inning.
The Jays took their first lead in the sixth. Sinclair singled up the middle to start the rally, then moved to second on a hit by Gradoville. Ruf walked to load the bases with no outs. Small then hit a blooper into shallow center that was tracked down by Elmendorf with his back to the infield. Sinclair alertly tagged up for the rare sacrifice fly to second before Small hit into CU's third inning-ending double-play of the game.
CU scored two insurance runs in the eighth, thanks in part to some shoddy defense from the right side of the SIU defense. Gradoville lofted a high pop-up between first and second that fell to the ground untouched for a gift hit with one out. He would hurry to third on an opposite-field hit by Ruf. Gradoville scored on a single by Small before Ruf came home when the Saluki defense made two errors on the same play of a slow roller hit by Winkelmann.
Creighton's offense was paced by Small's 2-for-3 day at the plate with three RBI and three singles from Gradoville. Both Ruf and Sinclair would also score twice on the day for CU, which won for the 22nd time in the last 24 games.
Daniel Wells fell to 2-3 with the loss, giving up two hits, one run and a walk in one inning of work. Joy, the SIU starter, couldn't hold onto the 5-0 lead and gave up six hits and five runs in four-plus innings of work. He walked a season-high six after entering the game with just 16 bases-on-balls in 92.2 previous innings. Pacing the Saluki offense was Hills (2-for-4, thre RBI) and Koski (2-for-5, two runs).
NOTES: The 1.2 innings pitched by CU starter Marc Lewis was his shortest start since Feb. 12, 2006 (0.2 IP at Arkanasas-Little Rock) as well as CU's shortest start against an MVC opponent since Adam Schaecher left after 0.2 innings on April 8, 2006 against Illinois State after getting hit with a line drive in the foot... It was CU's shortest start in an MVC game that wasn't injury-related since April 28, 2002, when Jon Gorden threw just 0.1 innings against Missouri State... Chad Ogden's beaning in the fifth inning was Creighton's 102nd hit batsmen this year, breaking a school and MVC record set in 2005... Ambidextrous reliever Pat Venditte extended his scoreless streak to 38.1... Chris Gradoville made his 150th career start... Creighton's Pat Venditte and SIU's Ian Reinhart both made their 35th appearances of the season in the game, tying them for the national lead... Creighton improved to 4-0 under Ed Servais in first-round games at the MVC Tournament... Creighton is now 32-4 in Marc Lewis' last 36 starts.
