Saturday, April 18
CU Sports Complex
1:00 PM
Creighton University
5
vs
0
Southern Illinois
Oltman Sets School Record in No-Hitter Over No. 24 SIU
4/18/2009 6:30:00 PM | Softball
OMAHA, Neb. - Junior pitcher Tara Oltman hurled her first career no-hitter and established a Creighton record with her 77th career victory, as the Bluejays defeated 24th-ranked Southern Illinois 5-0 in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader at the CU Sports Complex. Renae Sinkler was 3-for-3 and homered twice, while Michelle Graner hit her second home run to provide the Bluejay ace with more than enough offense in the win. SIU bounced back to post a 3-2 win in the night cap to earn the doubleheader split.
In a battle of the top two pitching staffs in the Missouri Valley Conference, Creighton (25-12, 13-4 MVC) claimed the lead early in game one. Sinkler lined an 0-1 offering from SIU (26-9, 10-4 MVC) starter Danielle Glosson over the left field fence for her first home run of the game, giving the Jays a 1-0 lead after one inning.
SIU put two runners on base in the no-hitter, the first reached on a one-out walk in the second inning, but Katie Wilson was stranded at second base after her 10th stolen base of the year. Katie Wagner was the only other Saluki to reach base, getting hit by a pitch in the fourth inning, but she was called out at first base to end the inning as she left the bag early on a steal attempt.
Creighton added to its lead in the fifth, manufacturing another lone tally. Liz McKewon reached base on a fielder's choice and would make her way to third base with two outs and Jessi Jadlowski at first base. McKewon took home when Jadlowski worked her way into a run down, before being tagged out to end the inning with the Jays up 2-0.
Michelle Koch led off the sixth inning with a double to right center and she came around to score on Sinkler's second home run of the game and team-best ninth of the season. Her blast to straight-away center field put the Jays up 4-0. That bomb ran Glosson from the game and brought in Katie McNamara. Michelle Graner welcomed McNamara to the game with a solo home run to left field, accounting for the first earned run the senior SIU left-hander had allowed in MVC play this spring. Graner's second homer of the season gave CU their 5-0 margin of victory.
Oltman retired the side in order in the seventh inning, striking out Wagner to secure her first complete game no-hitter as a Bluejay. The win was her 77th career victory, surpassing Tammy Nielsen's former Creighton record of 76, while it was her second shutout of a top-25 team this year (also blanking No. 13 Arizona on March 7). The right-hander walked one and struck out eight in the first CU no-hitter since Feb. 17, 2007 (a combined five-inning effort between Oltman, in her collegiate debut, and Laura Fonda).
Sinkler finished the opener 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored, the only player in the game with more than one hit. For just the second time this season, Creighton did not strike out in the game.
Glosson dropped to 7-6 in defeat, lasting five-plus innings and allowing four runs, three earned and four hits.
The game one win moved CU to 10-0 on the year when leading after the first inning and 17-0 when scoring at least four runs.
Oltman returned to the circle in game two, but Saluki leadoff hitter Chelsea Held started the game with a single up the middle to avoid consecutive no-nos. SIU stranded nine runners in the first four innings of the second game, before denting the scoring column in the fifth, when Wilson hit her third home run of the year with one-out to put the Salukis up 1-0.
Creighton wasted early scoring opportunities and saw some defensive gems by SIU prevent it from sweeping the twin bill. The third inning ended on a line-out double play, in which Jadlowski smacked a frozen rope at shortstop Haley Gorman, only to see her nab the ball and double off Wakasugi at second base. Gorman again snagged a crushed line drive off the bat of Graner to end the fourth inning, on a ball that appeared headed to left field and even looked as if it was on its way out of Gorman's glove for an RBI single.
The game remained 1-0 until the seventh, when a two-out, two-run single by Katie Schmidt gave SIU a 3-0 edge. Schmidt chopped a ball over first base, scoring Gorman and Alicia Garza with what proved to be much-needed insurance runs.
Graner walked with one out in the bottom of the seventh and Sara Loeffelholz followed with her fourth home run of the season. The CU designated player lined a ball deep over the right center field fence to draw the Jays within one. SIU starter Nikki Waters induced two ground outs to third base to escape with a victory.
Waters moved to 11-2 with the complete game win, allowing just four hits, one walk and finishing with three strikeouts. The SIU win snapped a streak of seven straight Creighton wins over the Salukis in the series.
Oltman dropped to 20-8 after earning both decisions on Saturday. In game two, she struck out nine, allowed five hits and three earned runs. The Bluejay ace threw 266 pitches in the doubleheader.
Creighton and SIU remain at first and second place, respectively, in the MVC standings and will conclude their three-game series on Sunday with a single game at noon at the CU Sports Complex.
In a battle of the top two pitching staffs in the Missouri Valley Conference, Creighton (25-12, 13-4 MVC) claimed the lead early in game one. Sinkler lined an 0-1 offering from SIU (26-9, 10-4 MVC) starter Danielle Glosson over the left field fence for her first home run of the game, giving the Jays a 1-0 lead after one inning.
SIU put two runners on base in the no-hitter, the first reached on a one-out walk in the second inning, but Katie Wilson was stranded at second base after her 10th stolen base of the year. Katie Wagner was the only other Saluki to reach base, getting hit by a pitch in the fourth inning, but she was called out at first base to end the inning as she left the bag early on a steal attempt.
Creighton added to its lead in the fifth, manufacturing another lone tally. Liz McKewon reached base on a fielder's choice and would make her way to third base with two outs and Jessi Jadlowski at first base. McKewon took home when Jadlowski worked her way into a run down, before being tagged out to end the inning with the Jays up 2-0.
Michelle Koch led off the sixth inning with a double to right center and she came around to score on Sinkler's second home run of the game and team-best ninth of the season. Her blast to straight-away center field put the Jays up 4-0. That bomb ran Glosson from the game and brought in Katie McNamara. Michelle Graner welcomed McNamara to the game with a solo home run to left field, accounting for the first earned run the senior SIU left-hander had allowed in MVC play this spring. Graner's second homer of the season gave CU their 5-0 margin of victory.
Oltman retired the side in order in the seventh inning, striking out Wagner to secure her first complete game no-hitter as a Bluejay. The win was her 77th career victory, surpassing Tammy Nielsen's former Creighton record of 76, while it was her second shutout of a top-25 team this year (also blanking No. 13 Arizona on March 7). The right-hander walked one and struck out eight in the first CU no-hitter since Feb. 17, 2007 (a combined five-inning effort between Oltman, in her collegiate debut, and Laura Fonda).
Sinkler finished the opener 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored, the only player in the game with more than one hit. For just the second time this season, Creighton did not strike out in the game.
Glosson dropped to 7-6 in defeat, lasting five-plus innings and allowing four runs, three earned and four hits.
The game one win moved CU to 10-0 on the year when leading after the first inning and 17-0 when scoring at least four runs.
Oltman returned to the circle in game two, but Saluki leadoff hitter Chelsea Held started the game with a single up the middle to avoid consecutive no-nos. SIU stranded nine runners in the first four innings of the second game, before denting the scoring column in the fifth, when Wilson hit her third home run of the year with one-out to put the Salukis up 1-0.
Creighton wasted early scoring opportunities and saw some defensive gems by SIU prevent it from sweeping the twin bill. The third inning ended on a line-out double play, in which Jadlowski smacked a frozen rope at shortstop Haley Gorman, only to see her nab the ball and double off Wakasugi at second base. Gorman again snagged a crushed line drive off the bat of Graner to end the fourth inning, on a ball that appeared headed to left field and even looked as if it was on its way out of Gorman's glove for an RBI single.
The game remained 1-0 until the seventh, when a two-out, two-run single by Katie Schmidt gave SIU a 3-0 edge. Schmidt chopped a ball over first base, scoring Gorman and Alicia Garza with what proved to be much-needed insurance runs.
Graner walked with one out in the bottom of the seventh and Sara Loeffelholz followed with her fourth home run of the season. The CU designated player lined a ball deep over the right center field fence to draw the Jays within one. SIU starter Nikki Waters induced two ground outs to third base to escape with a victory.
Waters moved to 11-2 with the complete game win, allowing just four hits, one walk and finishing with three strikeouts. The SIU win snapped a streak of seven straight Creighton wins over the Salukis in the series.
Oltman dropped to 20-8 after earning both decisions on Saturday. In game two, she struck out nine, allowed five hits and three earned runs. The Bluejay ace threw 266 pitches in the doubleheader.
Creighton and SIU remain at first and second place, respectively, in the MVC standings and will conclude their three-game series on Sunday with a single game at noon at the CU Sports Complex.
Players Mentioned
OF/1B
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OF
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IF
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OF
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IF
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P
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UT
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