Creighton University
Central Arkansas
High Scoring Game Gets Away from Creighton Baseball
3/9/2011 2:22:00 PM | Baseball
CONWAY, Ark. - In a high scoring game in Conway, the Creighton baseball team again couldn't manage to pull one out, losing 8-7 on back to back doubles in the bottom of the ninth inning. Creighton falls to 9-3 on the season while UCA improves to 8-5.
For the second straight game, the Jays got on the board in the top of the first inning, this time scoring two runs on two hits and leaving one runner on base. Michael Mutcheson started off the game with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a passed ball. Nick Judkins stood in, dropping a sacrifice bunt right in front of the plate that advanced Mutcheson to third base. After a Jimmy Swift walk, the speedy Swift threw an errant throw to first by the pitcher, scoring Mutcheson and advancing Swift to second. Trever Adams then ripped a double, threading it down the third base line, that scored Swift from second base. Two fly-outs ended the inning.
The Bears started off the game ripping the ball, with five hits in the first two innings off Bluejay starter Brandon Koenigstein. Central Arkansas answered by scoring twice in the bottom of the first. Ethan Harris led off the inning with a single to right field and then stole second. After a Michael Pair strikeout, Jonathan Houston lined a homerun over the 320 foot right field fence, scoring both runs. Koenigstein allowed two more singles, but struck out two to end the inning.
After a scoreless top half of the inning for the Jays, Central Arkansas was back on the scoring streak again, adding two runs in the bottom of the second. A leadoff single by Zack Dickson, followed by a sacrifice bunt and a fielding error put runners on second and third with one out. A two out double by Houston knocked in two more runs (his fourth RBI of the day). Koenigstein then forced a ground ball to third base to end the inning.
In the top of the third, Judkins led off the inning with a double down the right field line, picking up his first hit of the game. Swift advanced Judkins to third by driving a ball to center field. Adams knocked in his second RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Swift from third. Creighton took back the lead in the top of the fourth inning. After eight straight balls to Anthony Bemboom and Scott Thornburg, Chance Ross dropped a bunt down the first base line that no UCA defensive player could get to, giving him an infield single.
With one out, Mutcheson knocked an opposite field double, driving in Bemboom and Thornburg. With a 5-4 lead, Judkins was hit by pitch to again load the bases for Swift, who picked up two RBI and his first hit of the game with a single to center field. A strike out, throw out by the Bears ended Creighton's chance of scoring any more, but holding onto a 7-4 lead after three and a half.
Koenigstein came out in the bottom of the fourth, finishing the game with 3.1 innings pitched, giving up eight hits and four runs and striking out five. Jack VanLeur then came to the mound, allowing the two runners who were on base when he came in to score, as well as one additional, as the Bears finished the fourth inning with three runs on three hits. VanLeur then shut down the side in the fifth inning before Mark Winkelman took the mound in the bottom of the sixth. After forcing a leadoff fly ball, Winkelman then walked a batter, but got out of the inning with a 1-6-3 double play.
The two teams remained knotted at seven to seven until the bottom of the ninth inning. After Creighton went three up three down in the top of the ninth, when Michael Pair drove a double to left center off Reese McGraw. Houston then stood in and drove in his sixth RBI of the game, a double to right center to score the winning run.
The Jays end the game with seven runs on seven hits and leave one man on base. UCA had 13 hits and left six men on base.
Creighton will be in action this weekend as they host South Dakota State in a three game weekend series. First pitch on Friday is set for 1:00 pm from CU Sports Complex. Follow www.gocreighton.com for all the latest information.
Quick Hits: Creighton used four pitchers, while Central Arkansas used seven pitchers in the midweek game, including four pitchers in the first four innings of play... Trever Adams knocked in three RBI on the game, two shy of his career high five, which he hit in the MVC Tournament last season... After getting a hit in just one of the first five games, Trever Adams has now gotten at least one hit in the last seven games, with four multi-hit games... Creighton's first game with Central Arkansas was cancelled due to rainy weather, and the Friday and Saturday games of the series with Arkansas State were moved due to rain. That forced a Sunday double header and single game Monday, which was the travel day... Jack VanLeur gave up his first run of the season in Tuesday's game. It was his first run allowed in 12.1 innings of work... The game Tuesday was a little different from the meeting last season, which was a 3-2 win for Creighton that came down to the last UCA runner being thrown out at home plate to end the game in the bottom of the 9th...
