Friday, May 16
Iowa City, Iowa
5:00 PM
Creighton University
1
vs
2
Long Beach State
Bluejays Edged by No. 18 Long Beach State, 2-1, in Extra-Innings
5/16/2008 9:00:00 PM | Softball
IOWA CITY, Iowa - For the second straight game, Creighton's normally reliable defense was anything but, as the Bluejays' fourth error of the game allowed an unearned run to cross the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning with the game-winning run in a 2-1 victory for 18th-ranked and 14th-seeded Long Beach State (40-15) Friday evening in the opening game of NCAA Regional play at Iowa's Pearl Field.
Jennifer Griffin led off the bottom of the eighth with a single up the middle for LBSU and was then pinch-run for by Casey Burba. After a fly out to center field, Burba stole second base and then advanced to third on a bloop single off the bat of Lacy Tyler. The Jays then intentionally walked Ashley Levine to load the bases and set up a force at the plate. Tara Oltman induced a ground ball to first base, but Renae Sinkler could not handle it and Burba came home with the game-winning run.
Jennifer Griffin led off the bottom of the eighth with a single up the middle for LBSU and was then pinch-run for by Casey Burba. After a fly out to center field, Burba stole second base and then advanced to third on a bloop single off the bat of Lacy Tyler. The Jays then intentionally walked Ashley Levine to load the bases and set up a force at the plate. Tara Oltman induced a ground ball to first base, but Renae Sinkler could not handle it and Burba came home with the game-winning run.
The 49ers scored their first run of the game with two outs in the first inning. A two-out, full-count walk to Brooke LeSage set the stage for the game's first run. LeSage stole second base on the first pitch to Griffin, the LBSU clean-up hitter then smacked a single through the left side of the CU infield to give Long Beach State the early lead.
Oltman pitched Creighton (43-16) out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the bottom of the fourth inning. Tyler reached on an error to start the inning, followed by a single off the bat of Levine and CU's third error of the game loaded the bases with none retired. Oltman then struck out Franciska Morlet for the first out, induced a fielder's choice ground out to first for out number two and Jonae Perez grounded out to short to escape the jam.
CU then built on that momentum and answered Long Beach's first-inning two-out run with a two-out tally of its own in the top of the fifth. Liz McKewon was hit by a 1-1 pitch and then stole second base with Jessi Jadlowski at the plate. Jadlowski then delivered an RBI single up the middle to bring McKewon in with the Jays' only run.
Oltman tossed her 32nd complete game of the year to tie a school record, while dropping to 31-8 on the year. The two-time MVC Pitcher of the Year hurled 7.1 innings, allowed six hits, two runs, just one earned, walked three (two intentionally) and struck out six.
LBSU ace Brooke Turner, the Big West Freshman and Pitcher of the Year, allowed only three CU hits and one run. She walked one and struck out five to move to 27-4 on the season.
Creighton will play in an elimination game on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. against the host Iowa. The Hawkeyes lost to Missouri 3-2 in eight innings on Friday night.
NOTES: The Long Beach State first-inning run marked just the second earned run allowed by Oltman in her last 45.1 innings pitched ... The first three Long Beach batters of the game worked full counts ... Jadlowski led off the game with a 10-pitch at bat, while Michelle Graner's second-inning double came on the 11th pitch of her at bat ... CU, which entered the tourney ranked 14th in the NCAA in fielding percentage, made four errors in the game and has now made seven errors in its last two games ... While CU's defense struggled, it also turned in some web gems, as McKewon concluded the sixth inning with a diving stab of a line drive heading into the left field corner and Bailey Dawson opened the seventh inning with a diving play on a ground ball up the middle and popped up to gun down LBSU pinch-hitter Ashley Weber ... Oltman has now hurled 269 innings this season, a school record, breaking Kelly Brookhart's 1991 mark of 263.1 IP ... The complete game from Oltman was her 32nd of the year, tying Tammy Nielsen's school record ... With Oltman's third strikeout in the game, she joined Nielsen as the only two pitchers in CU history with 500 career Ks ... The back-to-back losses for CU are its first since dropping two straight on April 2 and 5 ... Creighton is now 12-21 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including 2-3 in NCAA games at Iowa City ... Three of CU's last six NCAA Tournament games have gone extra-innings ... CU is 20-7 all-time against Iowa, including 2-1 in the NCAA Tournament and 1-0 in Iowa City in the NCAA postseason (1989) ... Iowa ended CU's season with a 2-1 defeat in eight innings in the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
Oltman pitched Creighton (43-16) out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the bottom of the fourth inning. Tyler reached on an error to start the inning, followed by a single off the bat of Levine and CU's third error of the game loaded the bases with none retired. Oltman then struck out Franciska Morlet for the first out, induced a fielder's choice ground out to first for out number two and Jonae Perez grounded out to short to escape the jam.
CU then built on that momentum and answered Long Beach's first-inning two-out run with a two-out tally of its own in the top of the fifth. Liz McKewon was hit by a 1-1 pitch and then stole second base with Jessi Jadlowski at the plate. Jadlowski then delivered an RBI single up the middle to bring McKewon in with the Jays' only run.
Oltman tossed her 32nd complete game of the year to tie a school record, while dropping to 31-8 on the year. The two-time MVC Pitcher of the Year hurled 7.1 innings, allowed six hits, two runs, just one earned, walked three (two intentionally) and struck out six.
LBSU ace Brooke Turner, the Big West Freshman and Pitcher of the Year, allowed only three CU hits and one run. She walked one and struck out five to move to 27-4 on the season.
Creighton will play in an elimination game on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. against the host Iowa. The Hawkeyes lost to Missouri 3-2 in eight innings on Friday night.
NOTES: The Long Beach State first-inning run marked just the second earned run allowed by Oltman in her last 45.1 innings pitched ... The first three Long Beach batters of the game worked full counts ... Jadlowski led off the game with a 10-pitch at bat, while Michelle Graner's second-inning double came on the 11th pitch of her at bat ... CU, which entered the tourney ranked 14th in the NCAA in fielding percentage, made four errors in the game and has now made seven errors in its last two games ... While CU's defense struggled, it also turned in some web gems, as McKewon concluded the sixth inning with a diving stab of a line drive heading into the left field corner and Bailey Dawson opened the seventh inning with a diving play on a ground ball up the middle and popped up to gun down LBSU pinch-hitter Ashley Weber ... Oltman has now hurled 269 innings this season, a school record, breaking Kelly Brookhart's 1991 mark of 263.1 IP ... The complete game from Oltman was her 32nd of the year, tying Tammy Nielsen's school record ... With Oltman's third strikeout in the game, she joined Nielsen as the only two pitchers in CU history with 500 career Ks ... The back-to-back losses for CU are its first since dropping two straight on April 2 and 5 ... Creighton is now 12-21 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including 2-3 in NCAA games at Iowa City ... Three of CU's last six NCAA Tournament games have gone extra-innings ... CU is 20-7 all-time against Iowa, including 2-1 in the NCAA Tournament and 1-0 in Iowa City in the NCAA postseason (1989) ... Iowa ended CU's season with a 2-1 defeat in eight innings in the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
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