Creighton University
Missouri State
Baseball Drops Third Straight 5-3 at Missouri State
3/25/2012 3:07:00 PM | Baseball
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Three runs in the top of the first inning gave Creighton a promising start to game three of the MVC opener at Missouri State, but the Bluejay bats went silent the rest of the game, as Creighton fell 5-3 in the series finale.
The series sweep by the Bears marks the first time since 1998 Creighton has opened conference play 0-3. The Bluejays drop to 11-10 on the season, while Missouri State now sits at 19-6 (3-0 in conference play).
Erik Mattingly had two of Creighton's seven hits on the day, while Anthony Bemboom drove in a pair of runners and scored one run on his own. Missouri State had 11 hits on the afternoon, led by leadoff hitter Spiker Helms, who finished 3-4.
Creighton scored in the top of the first inning, scoring three runs on three hits, the first Bluejay runs of the weekend. After Chance Ross was hit-by-pitch to lead off the game, Brad McKewon laid down a beautiful sacrifice bunt, pushing it right down the first-base line. Bears catcher Luke Voit sailed the throw into right field, putting both runners in scoring position.
Bemboom drove in his 14th and 15th RBI of the season, bouncing a single back up the middle that scored the pair. A single through the right side by Mattingly put runners on the corners before a ground ball to the first baseman off the bat of Mike Gerber drove in the third run of the game for the Jays.
The Bears clawed back, scoring a single run in each the bottom of the first and third innings. Bluejay starting pitcher Andrew Urban held his own through the first two innings, allowing just a singe run on a pair of hits. But five hits in the third inning (a pair to open the inning, a ground out double play, and three straight singles to load the bases) pushed Urban out and Nick Musec made his 2012 MVC debut. Musec induced a fly ball to McKewon in left to strand all three Bears.
Creighton had runners on base in each of the first four innings, stranding five runners after its three runs in the first inning. The Bears took advantage, taking the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when they pushed across a pair of runs on two hits, including the second-straight triple to lead off the inning.
Missouri State added another run in the bottom of the fifth, its fifth straight unanswered run in the game.
McKewon led off the seventh inning with a single to left center, his fifth straight game with at least a hit. A walk to Judkins put runners on first and second and looked like the Bluejays would put up their first runs since the first inning. MSU starting pitcher Clay Murphy had other thoughts, however, striking out Bemboom and Mattingly prior to getting Mike Gerber to ground out to first to end the threat.
Shane Liska tamed the Bears' bats in the sixth and seventh innings, using the first strikeout by the Bluejay pitching staff on the day to retire Luke Voit. Liska then got Seifert to stike out with the bases loaded in the sixth and shut down the Bears in order in the seventh with three straight strikeouts. Liska finished the day with a career-high five strikeouts.
The Creighton Bluejays will now return home for an eight-game homestand. The Jays play host to cross-town foe Nebraska-Omaha on Tuesday, March 27, with first pitch set for 6:00 pm from TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. The Jays will welcome Evansville and Indiana State as part of the homestand, as well as a mid-week game against Kansas on Tuesday, April 3.
NOTES: After reaching base safely to lead off 9-of-10 straight games, Chance Ross failed to reach to leadoff the game in either of the first two games of the series with Missouri State. Ross was plunked with the first pitch in the Sunday game to hopefully start up a new streak ... The first two Bluejay batters (Chance Ross and Brad McKewon) each reached safely the first two times today, but they were held hit-less in the first two innings. Ross reached on a hit by pitch in the first and via error in the second, while McKewon reached on an error on his sacrifice bunt in the first and walked in the second ... The first two games hovered right around two hours each, but game the first two complete innings of game three took right at 40 minutes ... For the third straight day the Bluejays used a double-play to help keep the Bears off the scoreboard. Creighton turned a 6-4-3 DP in the bottom of the 3rd to erase the tying run from the bases.
