Creighton University
New Mexico
Baseball Sweeps New Mexico in Albuquerque on Saturday
2/26/2011 4:01:00 PM | Baseball
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The Creighton baseball team put up 14 runs on 21 hits on Saturday, sweeping the doubleheader with New Mexico. The Jays won 4-3 in game one and came from a 4-0 deficit to win 10-6 in game two. Eight of Creighton's nine batters in game two got a hit. It marks the fourth win in a row for the Jays, as they improve to 6-1 on the season. Creighton has not started 6-1 since the 1999 season, when the Bluejays won 12 in a row, starting 15-1. New Mexico drops to 0-7 for the first time since 2001.
Creighton 4, New Mexico 3
For the first time this season, the Jays got on the board in the first inning. It was also the first time in the last three games, the Jays got on the board first in the opener, when Alex Staehely tripled to left center field, his team leading second of the season, and his ffifth extra basehit of the young season. Jimmy Swift then drove a ball out to centerfield, a sacrifice fly scoring Staehely from third. It looked like the Jays would score again in the frame, when Trever Adams knocked the second triple of the inning, this time to right center. But Adams would be stranded on third when Scott Thornburg struck out to end the inning.
Jonas Dufek was stellar on the mound in the Saturday opener, going 6.0 innings with six hits, three runs (one earned), eight strikeouts and just one walk. He mowed through the first five innings, allowing just three hits (two doubles and a single), striking out seven and forcing four ground balls. No Lobo leadoff batter got on to lead the inning until the bottom of the sixth, and the Bluejay defense didn't allow a Lobo past second base.
The Jays struggled in the second through fifth innings, but got on the board again in the top of the sixth. Michael Mutcheson reached first on a throwing error by the shortstop. He was advanced to second on a Staehely sacrifice bunt. Mutcheson then scored on Adams' second multi-base hit of the game, a double down the left field line. Creighton added another run, making the score 3-0, when Thornburg singled through the left side and Adams scored from second.
The Lobos put together a rally in the bottom of the third, evening the score at 3-3. Ben Woodchick led off the inning with a double to left center. He then advanced to third on a passed ball. The Lobos first run of the game came when Kyle Stiner singled through the left side, scoring Woodchick. D.J. Peterson then walked to put runners on first and second. The two were advanced when Mitchell Garver sacrifice bunted. Quay Grand then reached on an error by Swift, scoring both Peterson and Stiner. Alex Allbritton then lined out to center to end the inning.
Creighton's pitching depth helped in the win, with Jack VanLeur coming in for Dufek in the bottom of the seventh. VanLeur held the Lobos to no runs and one hit in 2.0 innings of work. He earned the win, as the Jays scored the winning run in the top of the eighth.
The score remained knotted at three until the Jays scored in the top of the eighth. Mutcheson singled to right field, his first hit of the game, and then advanced to second on a balk, the third of the weekend, second by the Lobos pitching staff. Mutcheson then advanced to third on a botched pickoff attempt and throwing error by the pitcher. Staehely then knocked in his sixth RBI of the season, scoring Mutcheson on a sacrifice fly to center. Adams picked up his third hit of the game, a single to center, followed by a single to right by Thornburg, but the Jays wouldn't be able to add any more insurance.
Creighton brought in Reece McGraw, who earned his second save of the season. McGraw pitched 1.0 innings, allowing one hit and striking out one. The Jays finished the game with nine hits, led by Adams and Thornburg who each went 3-for-4. The Jays struck out just two times and walked just once in the game. The Creighton pitching staff gave up eight hits while striking out nine in the early game.
Creighton 10 New Mexico 6
The beginning of game two was a complete turn around from the first game, as the Lobos scored first and held control of the game until the top of the fourth inning.
After Creighton left Mutcheson and Swift on base in the top of the first inning, New Mexico pushed one across the plate in the bottom of the first. Woodchick led off the inning with a groundout to shortstop followed by a Stiner walk. Stiner stole second, putting himself in scoring position. D.J. Peterson then came up and doubled down the left field line, knocking in the first run of the game. Greg Hellhake got out of the inning by forcing two ground outs, both to second base.
Creighton went three-up, three-down in the top of the second while the Lobos added three more in the bottom half. Jo Twinchell singled to right center and then Logan Lippert walked. The two were advanced to second and third on an Alex Allbritton sacrifice bunt. Hellhake struck out Wilson to get to two outs, but a Kyle Stiner single through the right side would score Twinchell and Lippert. The Lobos looked like they would post another run, but Stiner was out after rounding third too big on Peterson's double, and was tagged out on a relay from Mattingly to Swift to Judkins and finally tagged out by Ross.
The Jays finally scored in the top of the fourth inning, and they didn't stop after just one. Creighton exploded for seven runs on four hits, all earned, batting all the way through the order for the first time this season. Adams continued his hot-hitting Saturday, singling up the middle. He was moved when Staehely singled through the left side, his first hit of the day. Erik Mattingly was then walked, loading the bases. Each baserunner advanced on a passed ball by Lobo catcher Mitchell Garver. Ross walked to again load the bases.
Anthony Bemboom then singled through the right side, picking up his second hit of the game, knocking in Staehely. Freshman Mike Gerber came up and turned on a ball, driving it right down the first baseline. The firstbaseman was pulled too far off the base and his only play was at home. The throw wasn't quick enough to get Mattingly, however, and all Jays were safe at their respective bases, Gerber at first, Bemboom at second, Ross at third and Mattingly at home. After Mutcheson was hit by a pitch for the fifth time this season, Ross scored and the game was tied 4-4.
Creighton continued its scoring parade, with Judkins driving a sacrifice fly and scoring Bemboom, followed by Swift's second hit of the game, a single to left center, scoring Gerber and advancing Mutcheson to third. For the third time on the weekend, a Lobo pitcher balked, scoring Mutcheson and advancing Swift to second. Adams grounded out and Staehely struck out to end the inning, but not before the Jays took back the lead.
Zero's were put up on the scoreboard through the next two and a half innings, with the Lobos going down consecutively and the Jays putting up just one hit. The Jays added three more runs in the top of the seventh on Bemboom's first homerun as a Bluejay and the first for the Jays this year. The three run blast scored Michael Blatchford (running after a Mattingly single) and Staehely, who reached on an 0-2 single up the middle.
Hellhake picked up the win for the Jays, evening his record at 1-1 on the season. He threw 6.0 innings, giving up five hits and four earned runs, while striking out three and walking three. Brandon Koenigstein came in for the Jays in the bottom of the seventh, shutting down the Lobos for 3.0 innings, allowing two hits and two runs in 2.0 innings, while Mark Winkelman came in and pitched perfect for 1.0 innings in relief.
The Jays finished the game with a season high 12 hits. Bemboom finished three for four, with four RBI and two runs scored, while Swift and Staehely each had two hits for the Jays. Eight different Jays scored runs in the game, led by Staehely and Bemboom with two each.
Creighton and New Mexico will finish up their four-game series tomorrow, with a single game scheduled to start at 11:00 CST. Check into www.gocreighton.com for live stats, as well as information about your favorite Bluejay teams.
