BROOKINGS, S.D. ? The Creighton baseball team used two home runs in the fourth inning to go ahead of South Dakota State, en route to a 5-2 victory, Tuesday afternoon in Brookings, S.D.
South Dakota State got on the board in the third, as the Jackrabbits capitalized on a Darin Ruf error. Elliot Soto fielded a ball in the hole and threw the ball in plenty of time to get the runner, Beau Hanowski, but Ruf dropped the ball allowing the runner to reach safely. John Lee then followed for SDSU with his second double in as many at bats, scoring Hanowski from first.
Jackrabbit shortstop Eric Cain made it 2-0 in the fourth, launching a home run to straight away center.
The Bluejays took the lead in the fifth when Robbie Knight led off the inning with a solo shot to left. After Darin Ruf reached on a single that got caught up in the wind, Vicente Cafaro hit a home run of his own to left, making it 3-2 CU after four and a half.
Creighton extended its lead to 5-2 in the seventh as T.J. Roemmich tripled to center scoring Ruf from first. Jimmy Swift then lifted a sacrifice fly to center, bringing in Roemmich from third for the second run of the inning.
Jeremy Hauer (1-5) got his first win of the season pitching just 0.1 of an inning, as he came in a situational spot in the fourth inning, getting John Lee to line out to the mound ending a SDSU threat.
The Bluejays will return to action Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m., in Iowa City as they face the Iowa Hawkeyes.
NOTES: Clark set a career-high with five strikeouts in just 2.1 innings... Soto extended his hit streak to 22 games with a bunt single in the third...He is just six games behind the all-time Bluejay leader Tony Roth, who hit safely in 28 straight games in 2005...The Bluejays had a runner in scoring position in each of the first three innings but failed to capitalize...Bob Lackovic made his 26th appearance of the year, tying him for second in the NCAA...Roemmich made his first pitching appearance since March 7 against Coastal Carolina...Jack VanLeur made his NCAA-leading 29th appearance...He picked up his fourth save of the season, throwing 2.0 scoreless innings...Ruf had a walk giving him 130 for his career, sixth place all-time on the Bluejay list.
