Creighton University
Bradley
Roemmich Uses Bat and Glove to Help Jays Beat Bradley, 7-2
4/24/2009 10:15:00 PM | Baseball
OMAHA, Neb. - Rightfielder T.J. Roemmich had two RBI to go along with an outfield assist and highlight reel catch, in propelling the Creighton baseball team to defeat Bradley 7-2, Friday evening at Rosenblatt Stadium. The win was the 400th of Ed Servais' career.
CU took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Darin Ruf and Robbie Knight were at the corners with only one down. T.J. Roemmich came up and hit a ball to right that fell in front of the Bradley rightfielder Colby Luttrell and allowed Roemmich to reach second, and Ruf and Knight to score.
Bradley trimmed the lead to one in the top of the fourth as Nick Mitidiero and Adam Kimble each had doubles to the corners, making it 2-1 Jays. The Braves threatened to tie the game when Grant Escue singled to right, but Roemmich gunned down Kimble at home trying to score.
Knight extended the CU lead in the fifth, when he singled to right to bring home Ian Dike. Vicente Cafaro then got in the act with a single up the middle bringing in Knight.
Roemmich then made one of the best plays of the year defensively for the Jays as Bradley's Colby Luttrell hit what looked to be a sure home run. However Roemmich was able to scale the wall and reach over the fence to take the homer away, and keep the score at 4-1 in favor of the Jays.
In the bottom of the sixth, Creighton loaded the bases courtesy of an error, walk and infield single. Knight then drew a bases loaded walk bringing in Swift for the first run of the inning and Elliot Soto singled to left, to bring in Dike for the second of the inning. Ruf then capped the inning with his 21st career sacrifice fly, lifting a ball to center and scoring Nick Becker from third.
Bradley would add a run in the seventh, but that is as far as it would get, as the team was shut down in the final two innings.
Starter Greg Hellhake (5-1), got the win going 6.0 innings, allowing just one run on six hits. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.
Creighton and Bradley will continue their three-game series on Saturday at 2:00 p.m., at the CU Sports Complex.
NOTES: Creighton improved to 9-2 on the season when Hellhake is on the mound...The team has now won eight straight contests Hellhake has pitched in, and has not lost since March 7 at Coastal Carolina, a game the Jays just barely lost, 8-7...Hellhake had his team-leading third pickoff of the season in the first inning...He now has assisted on half of the team's pickoffs, as the Bluejays now have six in 2009...Roemmich's two RBI in the first inning are his most in a conference game this season...Soto's single in the seventh extended his hitting streak to 20 games...He is just eight shy of the Creighton school record of 28 set by Tony Roth in 2005...Jack VanLeur made his nation-leading 28th appearance of the season...The Jays have now beaten the Braves nine straight times at home, and 9-1 in the last 10 meetings overall.
