Sunday, April 27
CU Sports Complex
1:00 PM
Creighton University
13
vs
1
Evansville
Baseball Powers Past Evansville To Complete Weekend Sweep
4/27/2008 4:30:00 PM | Baseball
OMAHA, Neb. -- The Creighton baseball team scored early and often, including a season-high eight times in the fifth inning, to cruise to a 13-1 seven-inning victory over Evansville Sunday afternoon at the CU Sports Complex.
The Bluejays completed a three-game Missouri Valley Conference sweep over the Purple Aces, and improved to 28-15 overall and 11-7 in league play. Evansville dropped to 9-34 and 3-15.
Greg Hellhake (3-0) picked up the victory, allowing just one hit in a pre-determined three inning start.
The first two Creighton runs came via sacrifice fly, with leadoff man Robbie Knight crossing the plate both times. Knight led off the game with a double, advanced to third on an Elliot Soto sacrifice bunt and then scored on a sac fly by Steve Winkelmann.
In the third inning, it was a near repeat of the opening frame as Knight again doubled and was sacrificed to third by Soto. This time, Darin Ruf drove in Knight with a sacrifice fly. Winkelmann then doubled and came around to score on Vicente Cafaro's RBI single threw the left side of the infield, making it 3-0 Jays after three innings.
Creighton used a brisk wind blowing out to right field to increase its lead in the fourth. Brett Mieras led off the inning with a walk and then trotted around on T.J. Roemmich's wind-aided home run to right field.
The Jays blew the game wide open in the fifth inning. After Winkelmann singled to lead off the inning, Nick Nordgren continued his scorching-hot play at the plate with a two-run opposite field homer to increase the lead to 7-0. The long ball was his third in the last five games, during which he has driven in 12 runs.
An RBI single by Roemmich made it 8-0, with another run scoring on an Evansville fielding error. A double by Soto plated two more Jays and increased the lead to 11-0. Ruf then doubled in Soto and later scored on another UE error to cap off the eight-run inning.
With three scoreless frames, Hellhake stretched his shutout streak to eight innings. Zak Moore came in and allowed three hits in 2.2 scoreless innings, before Pat Venditte retired the final batter of the sixth inning. Kevin Dooley allowed one run on one hit in the seventh, before retiring the final three UE batters via strikeout.
Knight, Soto, Winkelmann, Cafaro and Roemmich each notched multi-hit games for the Jays, as CU out-hit the Aces 13-5. With the RBI double in the fifth, Ruf established a new career-best with a hit in his 13th straight game.
Creighton will be off until next weekend, when the Jays travel to Southern Illinois for a three-game weekend series in Carbondale.
GAME NOTES: Creighton has scored first in 20 of its last 21 games, notching a 13-8 record during the stretch ... With the first-inning run, CU is now outscoring its opponents 30-2 in the opening frame of home games ... With three home runs in the last five games, Nick Nordgren is now tied for the team lead with eight long balls ... Robbie Knight was hit by a pitch for the 18th time this season and 53rd in his career ... Knight recorded a pair of two-double games during the weekend and now has 14 on the season to tie Darin Ruf for the team lead ... Creighton improved to 15-0 at the CU Sports Complex.
The Bluejays completed a three-game Missouri Valley Conference sweep over the Purple Aces, and improved to 28-15 overall and 11-7 in league play. Evansville dropped to 9-34 and 3-15.
Greg Hellhake (3-0) picked up the victory, allowing just one hit in a pre-determined three inning start.
The first two Creighton runs came via sacrifice fly, with leadoff man Robbie Knight crossing the plate both times. Knight led off the game with a double, advanced to third on an Elliot Soto sacrifice bunt and then scored on a sac fly by Steve Winkelmann.
In the third inning, it was a near repeat of the opening frame as Knight again doubled and was sacrificed to third by Soto. This time, Darin Ruf drove in Knight with a sacrifice fly. Winkelmann then doubled and came around to score on Vicente Cafaro's RBI single threw the left side of the infield, making it 3-0 Jays after three innings.
Creighton used a brisk wind blowing out to right field to increase its lead in the fourth. Brett Mieras led off the inning with a walk and then trotted around on T.J. Roemmich's wind-aided home run to right field.
The Jays blew the game wide open in the fifth inning. After Winkelmann singled to lead off the inning, Nick Nordgren continued his scorching-hot play at the plate with a two-run opposite field homer to increase the lead to 7-0. The long ball was his third in the last five games, during which he has driven in 12 runs.
An RBI single by Roemmich made it 8-0, with another run scoring on an Evansville fielding error. A double by Soto plated two more Jays and increased the lead to 11-0. Ruf then doubled in Soto and later scored on another UE error to cap off the eight-run inning.
With three scoreless frames, Hellhake stretched his shutout streak to eight innings. Zak Moore came in and allowed three hits in 2.2 scoreless innings, before Pat Venditte retired the final batter of the sixth inning. Kevin Dooley allowed one run on one hit in the seventh, before retiring the final three UE batters via strikeout.
Knight, Soto, Winkelmann, Cafaro and Roemmich each notched multi-hit games for the Jays, as CU out-hit the Aces 13-5. With the RBI double in the fifth, Ruf established a new career-best with a hit in his 13th straight game.
Creighton will be off until next weekend, when the Jays travel to Southern Illinois for a three-game weekend series in Carbondale.
GAME NOTES: Creighton has scored first in 20 of its last 21 games, notching a 13-8 record during the stretch ... With the first-inning run, CU is now outscoring its opponents 30-2 in the opening frame of home games ... With three home runs in the last five games, Nick Nordgren is now tied for the team lead with eight long balls ... Robbie Knight was hit by a pitch for the 18th time this season and 53rd in his career ... Knight recorded a pair of two-double games during the weekend and now has 14 on the season to tie Darin Ruf for the team lead ... Creighton improved to 15-0 at the CU Sports Complex.
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