Creighton University
Air Force
Baseball Splits Doubleheader at Air Force
3/16/2011 6:54:00 PM | Baseball
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - On a sunny day in Colorado, the Creighton baseball team played a tale of two different games. The Jays (13-4) lost the first game of the day 2-1, with just six hits and came back to string together 15 hits and win the high scoring game two 11-9.
Creighton 1, Air Force 2
Greg Hellhake was solid in his fifth start of the season, giving up just three hits through the first four innings. Hellhake struck out two during the time, forcing five fly balls and four ground outs. Hellhake allowed just five baserunners through the first four, with only one baserunner reaching second base.
The Jays got on the board first, pushing one across in the top of the first inning. Michael Mutcheson led off the inning with a double that dropped in front of the left fielder. Nick Judkins then moved Mutcheson to third when he laid down a sacrifice bunt. To score the run, Jimmy Swift knocked in his 13th RBI of the season (second best on the team) on an infield ground out to the shortstop.
After a season high 16 hits in the Sunday game against South Dakota State, Creighton struggled offensively in game one. The Jays posted zero's in the second through fifth inning, picking up just three hits and stranding three runners on base. The Jays grounded into a double play for the 10th time this season and had a runner picked off for just the third.
Air Force's best threat in the first game came in the bottom of the fifth. A leadoff single to centerfield by Matt Thorne followed by an infield single by Garrett Custons (beating out a sacrifice bunt attempt) put runners on first and second with no outs. Hellhake then recorded two straight outs, forcing a pop up on a sacrifice bunt attempt and a fly out to centerfield. With two outs, Hellhake walked the number four batter but then forced a fly out to center to end the threat.
The Falcons took out their starter Kincaid Kohler in the top of the sixth inning after keeping the Bluejays quiet through the middle of the game. Koehler finished with 5.0 innings pitched, four hits, one earned run and one hit batter. He gave up no walks and didn't strike out any Jays. Air Force brought in Luke Dorlac, who kept the Jays guessing, putting CU hitters Judkins, Swift and Adams down in order in the sixth.
Kurt Spomer came in for the Jays with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning, forcing a line drive and fly ball to end the inning. Hellhake finished the game with 5.1 innings pitched, giving up six hits, walking one and striking out three Falcon batters.
The Air Force batters caught on in the bottom of the seventh, pushing across their only run of the game. With one out, Custons singled and then advanced on a hit and run infield grounder to Swift. Swift's only play was to get the batter at first. With two outs, Spomer balked, moving Custons to third base, before Carter singled back up the middle for the tying run. After back-to-back singles, the Falcons took the lead when Jon McMahon hit a grounder that Alex Staehely made a nice diving play for, snagging the ball in the webbing of his glove. Staehely then threw the ball away, allowing Carter to score, while Bast and McMahon ended on third and second base, respectively. Mark Winkelman came in to strikeout the final batter, not before the Falcons took the 2-1 lead.
Creighton couldn't put anything else together the rest of the game, getting just one hit in the last two innings. The Jays finished with six hits and one run, while Air Force had 10 hits. Mutcheson and Staehely had two hits a piece. Spomer took the loss for the Jays, falling to 0-2 on the season. The loss dropped the Jays to 12-4 on the season.
Creighton 11, Air Force 9
The Jays got on the board first again in game two, jumping out aggressively from the start. CU batters had four hits the first time through the lineup, adding two in the top of the third when they scored two runs. Mutcheson led off the inning with a walk, and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Anthony Bemboom. A Swift fly out gave the Jays with two outs and a runner on second. Adams picked up his first hit of the day, a single, putting runners on the corners. Staehely then stood in, ripping his 11th double of the season and driving in his 17th and 18th RBI.
The Falcons answered right away in the bottom of the third, taking the lead with four runs on three hits, knocking Bluejay starter Brandon Koenigstein, who had allowed just one hit through the first two innings. A leadoff walk followed by a triple and single back-to-back gave the Falcons two early runs and brought in Jack VanLeur on the mound. A sacrifice bunt moved Roberts to second and the second triple of the inning knocked in the third run. The Falcons took the lead after VanLeur skipped a ball off the artificial field turf, allowing Bast to score from third. Two ground outs ended the inning, but not before Air Force took a 4-2 lead.
The wind picked up and the Jays took advantage of it. The Jays took back a 5-4 lead in the top of the fourth,combining to hit for the cycle in the inning with a single, double, triple and home run. After a leadoff groundout, Ross picked up his first hit of the afternoon, singling through the right side. Michael Blatchford then got a ball up in the air, and drove it over the left centerfield fence, his first home run of the season. Mutcheson flew out to right field and Bemboom ripped a shot straight down the right field line, past the diving first baseman. The ball went into the corner, allowing a hustling Bemboom to get to third base. To complete the cycle, and give the Jays the 5-4 lead, Swift hit a double that scored Bemboom.
VanLeur and Chase Webb combined to shut out the Falcons through the bottom of the fourth and fifth. The Jays added another run when Chance Ross unleashed on a nall, knocking it over the 400 foot deep, 30-foot high hitters eye in straightaway centerfield. Creighton put up four insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Staehely reached on a fielders choice and advanced to third when Judkins ripped a ball off the shortstop's glove that went into center field. Mattingly walked before Blatchford drove a double into the right center gap, scoring two. Mutcheson then got his third hit of the day, a triple that drove in Blatchford. The final run of the inning came when Bemboom drove in a single to score Mutcheson. The Jays led 11-4 going into the bottom of the final frame.
Reese McGraw took the mound in the seventh inning, allowing five runs on three hits, including a grand-slam home run over the right field fence. With two outs, Mark Winkelman came in to finish the game, forcing a pop out to end the game.
The Jays finished the game with 15 hits, led by Mutcheson and Ross with three each. Blatchford had four RBI on the day, hitting a double and home run. VanLeur picked up the win for the Jays, improving his record to 2-0. Creighton used five pitchers while Air Force threw six different pitchers in the mid-week game. The Jays are now 13-4 on the season, while Air Force sits at 7-10.
