Creighton University
Southern Illinois
Softball Takes Series From No. 24 SIU
4/19/2009 3:30:00 PM | Softball
OMAHA, Neb. - Creighton used a pair of Southern Illinois errors to help it score three runs in the fifth inning in a 3-0 win over the 24th-ranked Salukis Sunday afternoon at the CU Sports Complex. The softball team won two of three games from its nationally-ranked foes this weekend with a pair of Tara Oltman shutouts. The first-place Bluejays improved to 26-12 on the season and 14-4 in Missouri Valley Conference play, dropping the Salukis to 26-10 overall and 10-5 in The Valley.
A day after tossing a no-hitter against the Salukis, Oltman (21-8) was back in the form that has made her the winningest pitcher in school history. The Bluejay right-hander did not allow a hit after the third inning. After escaping a bases loaded jam in the third inning, Oltman retired the final 13 batters she faced in the game.
Liz McKewon led off the fifth inning with a bunt single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jessi Jadlowski. SIU right fielder Katie Wilson then dropped a fly ball off the bat of Bailey Dawson to allow McKewon to move to third and Dawson to reach second base with one out. Michelle Koch then dropped down a bunt and would beat throw to first as first baseman Christina Trapani fielded the ball and double-pumped before getting rid of her throw to first base. When Trapani finally did make the throw, it was wild, allowing a second Bluejay run to score on the play, and the Jays were up 2-0.
Renae Sinkler followed with a base hit and Michelle Graner was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Nikki Waters relieved starter Katie McNamara after the hit batsman, and struck out the first batter she faced, before issuing a bases loaded walk to Lauren Larson to put the Jays ahead 3-0.
Oltman struck out
the final five SIU hitters in the game and tied her season-high with 11 Ks, two
walks and two hits in her ninth shutout of the season. With 28 strikeouts this weekend, the junior became the 13th player in league history to surpass 700 career Ks and now ranks 11th in MVC history with 712 career strikeouts.
McNamara suffered her first loss as a starter this year, dropping to 8-2 on the season. The senior left-hander for SIU, allowed five hits in 4.1 innings and only one of the three runs she allowed were earned.
Koch, Sinkler and McKewon each collected two hits in the game, while Sara Loeffelholz smacked her team-leading ninth double of the year to account for all of CU's seven hits in the contest.
The Bluejays will return to MVC play on Tuesday when they play the rubber game of their three-game MVC series against Drake. CU and DU will play in Des Moines at 4 p.m., after the teams split a doubleheader in Omaha last week.
