Creighton University
Missouri State
Jays Win 7-6 Thriller Over Bears in 10 Innings to Advance to MVC Championship
5/22/2009 8:00:00 PM | Baseball
WICHITA, Kan. -- Robbie Knight hit a key two-run single in the top of the 10th inning to give the Creighton baseball team a 7-6 win. The team will face Wichita State in the MVC Tournament Championship at 7:00 p.m., on Saturday. The host Shockers defeated Illinois State, 4-0, in the final game of the day.
Creighton scored twice in the top of the first to take an early 2-0 lead for the second straight day. With one out Elliot Soto singled to second. Darin Ruf was hit with a pitch before Vicente Cafaro's looper to left loaded the bases. Nick Becker then grounded to shortstop Travis McComack, who flipped to Kevin Medrano at second for the first out. Medrano's high throw to complete the double play would deflect of glove of first baseman Tyler Ryun, allowing both Soto and Ruf to score when the ball rolled to the dugout.
Missouri State answered with two runs in the bottom of the first. Aaron Conway singled to lead off the game and scored on Medrano's triple to the right-field corner. Medrano tied the game when he scored on a Ben Carlson groundout.
CU reclaimed the lead in the top of the second, piecing together three singles to go ahead 3-2. Jimmy Swift singled off pitcher Aaron Meade with one out and moved to second on a single through the left side from Scott Thornburg. Swift would advance to third on Robbie Knight's fly out, then score on Soto's RBI single to right.
Missouri State took its first lead of the game in the bottom half of the third inning. Medrano and Brayden Drake singled to start the inning, and after a flyout Chris Playter had his blooper to right drop in front of T.J. Roemmich to score Medrano and knot the score at 3-3. Trevor Rogers followed with another single as Drake narrowly beat Roemmich's throw in from right.
Creighton would tie the game in the top of the fifth inning. Soto singled up the middle for his third hit of the day, stole second and moved to third on a deep fly ball to right hit by Ruf. Vicente Cafaro then hit a chopper down the third-base line and his head-first slide below the tag helped him reach, scoring Soto.
Creighton knocked Meade from the game in the top of the sixth, while taking a 5-4 lead thanks to a lift off the bench from pinch-hitter Ian Dike. Roemmich began the rally when he was clipped with a pitch with one away. Swift was walked, ending the day for all-Valley performer Meade. MSU turned to 2008 MVC Pitcher of the Year and All-American Tim Clubb from the bullpen, which led CU coach Ed Servais to have Dike pinch-hit for Thornburg. Dike crushed a 1-1 offering over centerfielder Aaron Conway's head, scoring Roemmich. Clubb then struck out Knight and Soto to end the threat without additional insurance runs scoring.
Bluejay starter Jonas Dufek worked into the seventh inning, getting first-pitch outs to feared hitters Drake and Ben Carlson to open the half-inning. Playter then belted a first-pitch offering from Dufek to the warning track in center for a stand-up double, ending Dufek's afternoon. Reliever Matt Patterson came in and would last just three pitches after surrendering a game-tying double to Rogers that plated Playter, before Bob Lackovic came in from the bullpen to end the threat.
CU almost took the lead back in the top of the eighth inning, only to be thwarted when Playter's diving catch in left-center robbed Robbie Knight with two outs and Dike on first.
After Lackovic retired the Bears in order in the bottom of the eighth, Soto's fourth single of the day led off the top of the ninth inning but was promptly erased when Ruf hit into a 5-4-3 doube play. Cafaro tried to ignite another rally against Clubb, notching his third single of the afternoon, but was caught stealing to end that threat.
Becker would lead off the top of the 10th inning with a single, and one out later steal second. After a Roemmich walk, CU would load the bases when Swift singled up the middle off Clubb but could not make the play. Dike was unable to recreate his sixth-inning heroics, striking out on a checked swing for the second out, before Knight picked him up. Knight singled to right-center, scoring Becker and Roemmich, to give CU the 7-5 lead.
Lackovic would hit Playter with a 1-0 pitch to open the home half of the 10th inning, sending Servais back to the mound to bring in all-Valley closer Jack VanLeur. VanLeur struck out pinch-hitter Daniel Torrente. Ryun would bloop a ball down the right-field line, sending Playter to third. Player would score on Curt Courtwright's pinch-hit single, which advanced pinch-runner Zak Swyhart to second. Both men moved into scoring position on Brett Marshall's slow roller to first for the second out. That set the stage for the top of the MSU order, and Aaron Conway would ground out to Soto on a full-count pitch to send CU to the championship game.
Dufek battled through early struggles to work into the seventh inning, but would not factor in the decision. He threw 107 pitches in 6.2 innings of work, yielding 10 hits and five earned runs to go with four strikeouts and a walk.
Lackovic (6-1) got the win, going 2.1 innings allowing one run without a hit. He struck out two and walked none. VanLeur picked up his team-leading sixth save of the season.
NOTES: Creighton has outscored opponents 29-1 in the sixth inning of its last four trips to the MVC Tournament, including 10-0 in 2008 and 10-0 this year so far ...Prior to his sixth-inning double Ian Dike had been 0-for-5 as a pinch-hitter this year after leading the squad by going 5-for-13 off the bench last year ...This was Missouri State's12th straight game with 10 or more hits ....Jack VanLeur came in the bottom of the 10th, tying him for second-nationally with his 35th appearance of 2009 ...Those 35 appearances are also fifth-most in MVC single-season history...Creighton is 25-0 when leading after six innings this year, and 88-2 in the past three seasons when leading after six frames. Under Ed Servais, CU is 181-8 overall when leading after six innings...Creighton has played 10 straight errorless games at
