Creighton University
Nebraska-Omaha
Baseball Falls to Nebraska Omaha 3-2
3/27/2012 10:01:00 PM | Baseball
OMAHA, Neb. - A late rally by the UNO Mavericks upended the Creighton baseball team on Tuesday night, as the Mavs came away from TD Ameritrade Park Omaha with a 3-2 win. The Bluejays drop to 11-11 on the season, dropping their fourth game in a row.
Bluejay starting pitcher Nick Musec again put together one of his best outings as a Bluejay. In 5.1 innings of work, the junior surrendered just a pair of hits, striking out a career-high five batters while not allowing a run to score. Musec allowed just one batter to reach via a hit-by-pitch, but the defense turned a double play to end the fifth inning.
Creighton got on the board first, scoring a pair of runs in the sixth inning. Scott Thornberg singled to left field to lead off the inning, and pinch-runner Jordan Makovicka replaced Thornburg, in the game as the designated hitter, on first base. Jake Peter drew a walk before Chance Ross advanced the pair 90 feet with a sacrifice bunt.
Omaha native Brad McKewon hit a ball to deep right field, scoring Makovicka for the first run of the ball game, and forcing the Mavericks to bring in Curtis Smith to pitch. The big right hander allowed a Nick Judkins single through the left side to score Peter, as Creighton took the 3-2 lead.
The Mavericks then put up three unanswered runs in their next two at-bats, taking the lead in the eighth inning. After UNO used a single, an infield ground out and a double to left field to score a single run off Kurt Spomer in the seventh, the Mavs put up two runs on two hits in the eighth off Reese McGraw. Another UNO double this time by Colby McCord, followed by a walk and hit-by-pitch, loaded the bases before Alex Mortensen singled in a pair of runners with a single back up the middle.
Three different Bluejays had a hit in the Tuesday night game, as Nick Judkins, Alex Staehely and Thornburg each picked up singles. UNO held an 8-3 advantage in hits on the night, with McCord, Mortensen and Connor McCrite combining for six of the eight hits.
McGraw (2-3) takes the loss for the Jays, allowing two runs on three hits in 2.0 innings of work. Curtins improves to 2-1 for the Mavericks, while Derek Landis picked up his second save of the season, recording the final out of the ballgame.
The Creighton baseball team will host MVC foe Evansville in a three-game series this weekend, with single games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, all played at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. First pitch is set for 6:00 pm Friday night.
NOTES: Nick Musec has now thrown at least 5.0 innings in his last three starts, going 7.0 innings at Pacific, 5.0 against North Dakota and 5.1 tonight ... the five strike outs and no walk night by Musec marks his best appearance as a pitcher for the Bluejays ... The 4,224 fans were the most at a Creighton baseball game this season ... The Bluejays loss was the first in 10 games against the Mavs ... Creighton has now scored in just two of the last 36 innings (three runs in the first at Missouri State and two runs in the sixth tonight) ... The four straight losses mark the first time since the 2010 season Creighton has lost four in a row ... The last time Creighton scored just five runs in four consecutive game combined was to close out the 2003 season, when the Jays beat Bradley 2-0 in a pair of game, lost to Missouri State 5-1 and to Indiana State 2-0 in the MVC Tournament.
