Saturday, May 17
CU Sports Complex
1:00 PM
Creighton University
2
vs
7
Louisiana-Monroe
Warhawks Take Regular-Season Finale Over Bluejay Baseball
5/17/2008 5:00:00 PM | Baseball
OMAHA, Neb. -- Dexter Fontenot's first inning grand slam was all Louisiana-Monroe would need as the Warhawks salvaged the finale of a three-game series over the Creighton baseball team, 7-2, Saturday afternoon at the CU Sports Complex.
Creighton finishes the regular-season with a 35-19 record. The Bluejays will be the third seed in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and will face sixth-seeded Bradley on Wednesday afternoon at 3 PM at Eck Stadium in Wichita, Kan.
The Bluejays hit into four double plays on the day and left the bases loaded on two occasions despite recording only four hits, as CU could not take advantage of five walks and six hit batsmen.
ULM starter Kyle Smith (4-2) picked up the victory with six innings of three-hit ball as the Warhawks concluded their regular season at 33-22. The Sun Belt Conference regular-season champs pounded out 14 hits in the contest, including seven for extra bases.
In the top of the first, CU starter Zak Moore (4-7) ran into trouble as the first three Warhawks of the inning reached. After a leadoff walk, Ben Soignier hit the first of his two doubles. A walk to Kyle Suire loaded the bases for Fontenot, who crushed Moore's first offering over the 16-foot wall in left-center field. On the homer, Fontenot moved his RBI total to 65, a ULM single-season school record.
The Warhawks added a run in the third on a RBI single by A.J. Siggers to scored Matt Collins, who doubled to lead off the frame. ULM chipped on another run in the fifth on a Darren Sutton solo home run.
Creighton pulled within 6-2 in the bottom of the sixth. Senior Joe Servais doubled to right-center to bring home Vicente Cafaro and Brett Mieras, who were both hit by pitches earlier in the frame.
The Jays would not make it any closer, however. ULM added an insurance run in the top of the seventh and pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the eighth.
CU loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth following two walks and another hit batsman. ULM reliever Derek Ward would come in and get a 1-2-3 double play ball off the bat of Mieras, the first batter he faced. Nick Nordgren then struck out to end the inning.
Moore allowed five runs on seven hits in four innings. Greg Hellhake, Bob Lackovic, Jack VanLeur, Matt Patterson and David Merchant combined to throw the final five frames. Lackovic, Patterson and the senior Merchant each notched scoreless outings.
Wichita State clinched the MVC regular-season title outright with a 21-5 win over Bradley paired with a Missouri State loss to Northern Iowa. Southern Illinois secured fifth place with a 4-2 win over Evansville, dropping Bradley to the sixth seed.
GAME NOTES: The loss was Creighton's first in 19 games at the CU Sports Complex this season ... Creighton was hit six times in the game, tying a season high ... CU has now been beaned by 108 pitches this season, eight shy of the single-season school record set last year ... Four Jays have been hit by at least 15 pitches (Robbie Knight-23, Vicente Cafaro-19, Steve Winkelmann-19, Brett Mieras-15) ... The four double plays hit into by CU were a season high.
Creighton finishes the regular-season with a 35-19 record. The Bluejays will be the third seed in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and will face sixth-seeded Bradley on Wednesday afternoon at 3 PM at Eck Stadium in Wichita, Kan.
The Bluejays hit into four double plays on the day and left the bases loaded on two occasions despite recording only four hits, as CU could not take advantage of five walks and six hit batsmen.
ULM starter Kyle Smith (4-2) picked up the victory with six innings of three-hit ball as the Warhawks concluded their regular season at 33-22. The Sun Belt Conference regular-season champs pounded out 14 hits in the contest, including seven for extra bases.
In the top of the first, CU starter Zak Moore (4-7) ran into trouble as the first three Warhawks of the inning reached. After a leadoff walk, Ben Soignier hit the first of his two doubles. A walk to Kyle Suire loaded the bases for Fontenot, who crushed Moore's first offering over the 16-foot wall in left-center field. On the homer, Fontenot moved his RBI total to 65, a ULM single-season school record.
The Warhawks added a run in the third on a RBI single by A.J. Siggers to scored Matt Collins, who doubled to lead off the frame. ULM chipped on another run in the fifth on a Darren Sutton solo home run.
Creighton pulled within 6-2 in the bottom of the sixth. Senior Joe Servais doubled to right-center to bring home Vicente Cafaro and Brett Mieras, who were both hit by pitches earlier in the frame.
The Jays would not make it any closer, however. ULM added an insurance run in the top of the seventh and pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the eighth.
CU loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth following two walks and another hit batsman. ULM reliever Derek Ward would come in and get a 1-2-3 double play ball off the bat of Mieras, the first batter he faced. Nick Nordgren then struck out to end the inning.
Moore allowed five runs on seven hits in four innings. Greg Hellhake, Bob Lackovic, Jack VanLeur, Matt Patterson and David Merchant combined to throw the final five frames. Lackovic, Patterson and the senior Merchant each notched scoreless outings.
Wichita State clinched the MVC regular-season title outright with a 21-5 win over Bradley paired with a Missouri State loss to Northern Iowa. Southern Illinois secured fifth place with a 4-2 win over Evansville, dropping Bradley to the sixth seed.
GAME NOTES: The loss was Creighton's first in 19 games at the CU Sports Complex this season ... Creighton was hit six times in the game, tying a season high ... CU has now been beaned by 108 pitches this season, eight shy of the single-season school record set last year ... Four Jays have been hit by at least 15 pitches (Robbie Knight-23, Vicente Cafaro-19, Steve Winkelmann-19, Brett Mieras-15) ... The four double plays hit into by CU were a season high.
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