Creighton University
Northern Iowa
Baseball Splits Doubleheader At MVC-Leader Northern Iowa
4/19/2008 6:00:00 PM | Baseball
GAME
ONE
WATERLOO,
Iowa ? Pinch hitter
Nick Nordgren's two-out double in the top of the ninth inning lifted Creighton
baseball to a 3-2 victory over league-leading Northern Iowa in the first game
of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Riverfront Stadium.
The hit was
Nordgren's first in the month of April and broke an 0-for-20 streak. Nordgren's
double allowed the Bluejays to win despite stranding 12 runners on base,
including 10 in scoring position.
Pat Venditte (5-2) picked up the win with five innings of relief, allowing just
one run and striking out four. UNI reliever Mike O'Leary (2-2) suffered the
loss, spoiling a very good effort from Panther starter Guido Fonseca, who
allowed just two runs in eight innings.
Creighton
got the offense rolling early, as the Jays tallied a first-inning run. Leadoff
man Robbie Knight led off with a single to left field and then stole second
base. He advanced to third on a single by Vicente Cafaro.
Knight was
gunned down at home plate on a ball hit to first base by Darin Ruf, but the
next batter, Steve Winkelmann, laced a double to left-center field to score
Cafaro from second and put the Jays ahead 1-0. The Jays would leave runners at
second and third, as T.J. Roemmich and Joe Servais both struck out to end the
inning.
The Jays
again threatened in the top of the second, as Elliot Soto walked and Knight was
hit by a pitch with two outs. After the runners advanced on a passed ball, the
Jays again stranded two runners in scoring position when Cafaro struck out to
end the frame.
The
Panthers picked up two hits off CU starter Jeremy Hauer in the third, but the
Bluejay left hander got a inning-ending flyout by Chris Lopez
After
Servais was stranded on third base on questionable called strike three's to Lam
and Soto to end the top of the fourth, the Panthers evened the game with a
tally in the bottom of the frame. Brett Featherston led off with a bunt single,
was sacrificed to second and scored on a single by Eddie Almonte.
Creighton
jumped back ahead in the top of the seventh, as the Jays strung together three
hits in the frame. Knight led off with a double and advanced to third on
Cafaro's second single of the day. Ruf then delivered with an RBI double down
the right field line to score Knight. The Jays would then load the bases after
Winkelmann was intentionally walked. However, Fonseca avoided further trouble
by striking out Roemmich and getting Servais to fly out.
After
limiting Creighton's big threat to only one run, UNI was able to tie it up in
the bottom of the seventh with a run of its own. Deric Manrique was hit by a Venditte
pitch with two outs. He then came around to score the tying run on a double by
Dane Embury.
After both
teams went down 1-2-3 in the eighth, Knight worked a leadoff walk to begin
Creighton's ninth. After a sacrifice by Cafaro and an intentional walk to Ruf,
Winkelmann flew out to right for the inning's second out.
Nordgren
was then called on to pinch hit for Roemmich, and the junior transfer picked up
the biggest hit of his short career. He laced a 0-1 pitch over the third
baseman's head and down the left field line for the game-winning RBI.
Venditte
then shut the door with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth, as the ambidextrous hurler
induced three flyouts to end the game.
Creighton's first three batters (Knight, Cafaro, Ruf) combined for six of the Jays' 10 hits in the game. Knight went 2-for-3 and scored two of CU's three runs.
GAME TWO
The
Panthers extended the lead to 2-0 in the third inning, as UNI notched three
singles off CU starter Zak Moore. The third single, off the bat of Brett
Featherston, plated Embury.
A solo home
run by Brett Douglas to lead off the bottom of the sixth made it 3-0. The
Panthers then extended that lead on a two-out RBI single by Manrique.
UNI starter
Taylor Sinclair was impressive through his first seven innings, allowing no
runs and only three hits. However, Sinclair ran into trouble in the eighth as
his pitch count elevated.
After
hitting Cafaro to lead off the inning, Sinclair gave up a double to Ruf on his
126th and final pitch of the game. Joe Gonzalez came in and allowed
a sacrifice fly to Winkelmann to make the score 4-1. But, Gonzalez got Nordgren
and Servais to fly out to center to end the threat.
Creighton
got back-to-back one-out hits in the ninth, as designated hitter Brandon Knox
doubled and Soto singled to leave runners at the corners. Knight flew out to
left for the second out and Cafaro looked to hit into a game-ending groundout
to the pitcher, but Gonzalez booted the ball and allowed Knox to score and the
game to continue.
The next
batter, Ruf, drew a nine-pitch walk to load the bases and allow the tying run
to reach second for Winkelmann. However, the senior third baseman flew out to
center field to end the game.
The
Bluejays left 11 runners on base in the contest, and stranded a total of 23 on
the day.
Sinclair was the story, as he allowed just one run on four hits in seven-plus innings to improve to 4-1. He struck out seven, while walking two. Gonzalez picked up his sixth save of the season, as he allowed one unearned run in his two innings.
Tomorrow's rubber match of the three-game series has been moved back an hour to a 2 PM start.
