Creighton University
14-6, 1-2
Butler
14-11, 2-1
Softball Falls 7-5 to Butler in Series Finale
3/22/2015 4:10:00 PM | Softball
OMAHA, Neb. – The Creighton softball team jumped out to an early 5-0 lead but a seven-run performance by Butler in the fifth frame gave the visiting Bulldogs a 7-5 victory in the series finale at the CU Softball Complex on Sunday.
Creighton (14-6, 1-2 BIG EAST) connected on 12 hits but could not bring enough runs across the plate to defeat Butler (14-11, 2-1 BIG EAST) who utilized a seven-run fifth inning to stun the Bluejays and take the series two games to one.
Nine Bluejays posted a hit in the series rubber match. Senior Liz Dike logged two knocks as did sophomores Anna O'Gorman and Jen Daro. One of Dike's hits was her sixth home run of the season that preceded junior Blake Ringle's sixth homer of the season for back-to-back round trippers in the Creighton third inning.
Junior Micaela Whitney earned the starting nod for the Bluejays in the finale.
Creighton opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. Junior Kelsey Allender singled up the middle before a sacrifice bunt off the bat of junior Michelle Trulin advanced Allender to second. An RBI single up the middle by Dike scored Allender to put the Jays up 1-0 early.
The Bluejays added three more runs in the bottom of the third inning. Trulin hit a one-out single before Dike hit a long bomb over the center field wall to make it 3-0 in favor of the Jays. Next up Ringle stepped in to drill another homer down the left field line to push the lead to 4-0.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Jays posted another score. Junior Erin McGonigal reached on an error and advanced to second on the throw to open the inning. A sacrifice bunt by Allender moved McGonigal to third. A slow grounder to short by Trulin scored the run to give CU a 5-0 advantage.
Butler came back in the top of the fifth as its offense exploded for seven runs, on four of its five hits in the game, to take over the lead for good at 7-5. The Bulldogs loaded the bases with no outs after a pair of walks and a single preceded a hit-by-pitch led to BU's first run. A ground out plated another run to make it 5-2. A fielder's choice, three-run home run, triple and two-run shot by Butler finished off the seven-run rally to give the Bulldogs a 7-5 lead.
CU loaded the bases after two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning but could not push any runs across the plate.
Creighton treks to the East Coast for a pair of three-game BIG EAST sets at Georgetown and at Villanova prior to Easter weekend. First pitch against the Hoyas is set for 11 a.m. CT on Saturday in Washington D.C.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: STARWALT, Kacey (5-1)
L: Whitney, Micaela (8-4)
Batting:
3B: KOTTER, Alex 1
HR: BOROS, Kristen 1 ; SALLEE, Brandyce 1
RBI: BOROS, Kristen 3 ; SALLEE, Brandyce 2 ; LEICHTY, Maria 1 ; RUPEL, Cassie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: OGDEN, Krosley 1 ; BOROS, Kristen 1 ; KOTTER, Alex 1 ; SALLEE, Brandyce 1 ; NORWOOD, Chelsea 1 ; LACH, Alyssa 1 ; LEICHTY, Maria 1
HBP: LEICHTY, Maria 1
Batting:
HR: Dike, Liz 1 ; Ringle, Blake 1
RBI: Trulin, Michelle 1 ; Dike, Liz 3 ; Ringle, Blake 1
SH: Allender, Kelsey 1 ; Trulin, Michelle 1 ; Daro, Jen 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Allender, Kelsey 1 ; Trulin, Michelle 1 ; Dike, Liz 1 ; Ringle, Blake 1 ; McGonigal, Erin 1
SB: Dike, Liz 2
