Creighton University
Northern Colorado
Jays Can't Overcome Early Deficit; Fall 10-3 to Northern Colorado
3/6/2010 5:11:00 PM | Baseball
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Creighton dug itself an early hole, as Northern Colorado rode a seven-run first inning to a 10-3 victory, Saturday afternoon at Don Sanders Stadium.
All but one of the UNC starters had a hit, but Seth Budde kept the scoreboard operators busy. He finished 3-for-5 with five RBI to lead the Bears (2-4) to their second win of the season.
Joe Sawicki settled for the Bears after allowing two first-inning runs. He allowed one more unearned run in six total innings of work for his first win (1-0).
Mike Nihsen (0-1) failed to make it out of the first inning, as he retired just one of the eight batters he faced.
Trever Adams and Robbie Knight both went 2-for-2 for the Jays (5-2). Adams had a run and an RBI, but the bottom half of the CU lineup struggled, as the fifth through nine slots in the order finished 0-for-17.
Two big blows off the bats of Budde and Harrison Lambert did all of the damage in UNC's big first inning.
An error and two singles loaded the sacks for Budde, as he drilled a three-run double for the first three Bear runs. The bases were loaded three batters later, and Lambert immediately jumped on a Nihsen fastball, launching it over the left field fence for a grand slam and 7-0 lead.
It didn't take long for the Jays to get a couple runs back as Elliot Soto walked and Adams singled with one out. T.J. Roemmich followed with a slicing double to the left-center gap for the first Creighton run. Adams' hustle accounted for the second run, as a Jimmy Swift popout to the second baseman turned into a sac fly, as Adams beat the throw home for the second Jay run.
Ty Blach kept Creighton in the game after the first. The freshman hurled 6.2 innings for the Jays, allowing just one run, and striking out seven in his second career appearance.
The Jays scored one run in the fifth to pull within one swing of the bat. Knight reached on a one-out error, and came around on an Adams triple to make it a four-run game.
UNC pulled away with a run in the seventh and a pair in the eighth. An Adrian Schenk single preceded a Tyler Wallace double that bounced just inside the chalk at third for the eighth run.
Budde put the game away in the eighth with his fourth and fifth RBI. A single, an error and a sacrifice bunt set up Budde, as he lined a single to center scoring both for the final 10-3 margin.
The Jays will wrap up the Bearkat Invitational tomorrow with host Sam Houston State. First pitch is slated for 3:00 p.m.
NOTES: Knight extended his games started streak to 102 and his games played streak to 149 ... His hit in the third inning also extended his hitting streak (carrying over from last season) to 10 games ... Zane Hinkel's start was the second of his career ... Creighton's streak of six straight games taking the first lead ended ... The last win for UNC in the series was April 11, 2004, an 11-3 victory for the Bears ... The last time a Creighton pitcher failed to make it out of the first inning was on March 5, 2008, when Jonas Dufek was ousted early at Memphis ... Kyle King made his collegiate debut, relieving Matt Patterson in the eighth inning.
