Friday, March 21
Peoria, Ill.
12:00 PM
Creighton University
2
at
0
Bradley
Bluejays Sweep Braves in MVC Softball Doubleheader
3/21/2008 5:00:00 PM | Softball
PEORIA, Ill. ? Three home runs provided all the offense Creighton would need Friday afternoon in a doubleheader sweep of Bradley. TJ Eadus, Bailey Dawson and Cassidy Nee all homered as the Bluejays took game one 2-0 and came from behind to win 5-2 in the night cap and open their Missouri Valley Conference season with a pair of victories. The Jays have now won four in a row and seven of their last eight games to improve to 19-10 on the season.
In the opener, Dawson walked with one out in the top of the first inning. She then scored when Eadus ripped her team-leading sixth home run of the season to center field to give Bluejay pitcher Tara Oltman all the run support she would need.
Oltman would allow just three hits in the game-one victory and none after the third inning. She struck out eight and walked none in her fifth shutout of the season.
The Bluejays tried following the same formula from game one in the night cap, as Dawson homered to center in the top of the first inning to provide CU starter Amanda Hess a one-run lead before even taking the circle.
Hess moved through the first three innings allowing just one hit and no runs, but ran into trouble in the fourth. Janay Mitchell and Amanda Clack reached on back-to-back singles to start the frame and, one out later, a walk to Lauren Meister loaded the bases. Creighton head coach Brent Vigness decided to pull Hess and place Oltman back in the circle. The sophomore right-hander allowed two more BU singles as the Braves scored twice to take a 2-1 lead after four. Both runs were charged to Hess.
In the sixth inning, Bradley head coach Buddy Foster countered the fourth-inning move by Vigness, putting his game-one starter and staff ace back in the game to toe the rubber. Ashley Birdsong walked the first batter she faced in Eadus. Jess Stigge pinch ran for Eadus and, after a failed sacrifice attempt, moved to second on a one-out single by Renae Sinkler. After Laura Kratochvil fouled out for the second out of the inning, Vigness sent pinch-hitter, junior Cassidy Nee to the plate.
The tall, right-handed hitting Nee crushed a no-doubt blast over the left field fence for her first career home run, giving the Jays a 4-2 lead. Michelle Koch, who returned to CU's lineup in game one after missing 15 games due to injury, followed with a double. A Bradley error on a ball hit by Liz McKewon kept the inning alive and a single by Jessi Jadlowski scored Koch to put the Jays up 5-2 after six.
Oltman, last year's MVC Newcomer and Pitcher of the Year, allowed an infield single in the sixth and then shut the Braves down in order in the seventh for her second win of the day. She moved to 13-4 with both wins on Friday, tossing 3.1 innings of relief in game two. Hess lasted 3.2 innings, allowing three hits and two runs to go along with a walk and two strikeouts.
Birdsong (7-5) took the loss in both games for the Braves (9-9, 2-3 MVC). She allowed four hits and three earned runs in two innings of relief in the night cap after tossing a complete game in the opener.
Creighton will look for its fourth 3-0 MVC start in the last five years when it plays the final game of the three-game series with Bradley on Saturday at noon.
In the opener, Dawson walked with one out in the top of the first inning. She then scored when Eadus ripped her team-leading sixth home run of the season to center field to give Bluejay pitcher Tara Oltman all the run support she would need.
Oltman would allow just three hits in the game-one victory and none after the third inning. She struck out eight and walked none in her fifth shutout of the season.
The Bluejays tried following the same formula from game one in the night cap, as Dawson homered to center in the top of the first inning to provide CU starter Amanda Hess a one-run lead before even taking the circle.
Hess moved through the first three innings allowing just one hit and no runs, but ran into trouble in the fourth. Janay Mitchell and Amanda Clack reached on back-to-back singles to start the frame and, one out later, a walk to Lauren Meister loaded the bases. Creighton head coach Brent Vigness decided to pull Hess and place Oltman back in the circle. The sophomore right-hander allowed two more BU singles as the Braves scored twice to take a 2-1 lead after four. Both runs were charged to Hess.
In the sixth inning, Bradley head coach Buddy Foster countered the fourth-inning move by Vigness, putting his game-one starter and staff ace back in the game to toe the rubber. Ashley Birdsong walked the first batter she faced in Eadus. Jess Stigge pinch ran for Eadus and, after a failed sacrifice attempt, moved to second on a one-out single by Renae Sinkler. After Laura Kratochvil fouled out for the second out of the inning, Vigness sent pinch-hitter, junior Cassidy Nee to the plate.
The tall, right-handed hitting Nee crushed a no-doubt blast over the left field fence for her first career home run, giving the Jays a 4-2 lead. Michelle Koch, who returned to CU's lineup in game one after missing 15 games due to injury, followed with a double. A Bradley error on a ball hit by Liz McKewon kept the inning alive and a single by Jessi Jadlowski scored Koch to put the Jays up 5-2 after six.
Oltman, last year's MVC Newcomer and Pitcher of the Year, allowed an infield single in the sixth and then shut the Braves down in order in the seventh for her second win of the day. She moved to 13-4 with both wins on Friday, tossing 3.1 innings of relief in game two. Hess lasted 3.2 innings, allowing three hits and two runs to go along with a walk and two strikeouts.
Birdsong (7-5) took the loss in both games for the Braves (9-9, 2-3 MVC). She allowed four hits and three earned runs in two innings of relief in the night cap after tossing a complete game in the opener.
Creighton will look for its fourth 3-0 MVC start in the last five years when it plays the final game of the three-game series with Bradley on Saturday at noon.
Players Mentioned
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