Creighton University
15-10
South Dakota
12-20-1
Softball Posts Doubleheader Split on Record-Setting Day
4/8/2015 11:23:00 PM | Softball
OMAHA, Neb. – The Creighton softball team split a doubleheader with South Dakota in a record-setting evening as the teams combined for 45 runs and 53 hits, including 14 home runs, on the day at the CU Sports Complex on Wednesday.
Creighton (16-10) dropped game one of the doubleheader to South Dakota (12-21-1) in eight innings by a score of 20-12. The Bluejays rebounded from an early four-run deficit to take game two in a 7-6 decision. The combined run and hit counts set a CU Sports Complex record for a doubleheader.
Every CU starter posted a hit and 10 Jays scored at least one run in the doubleheader.
Sophomore Jen Daro led the Jays offense with three homers on the day including her first career grand slam in game one. She went 5-of-8 at the plate and drew a walk. Daro knocked in six runs to produce a staggering 1.75 slugging percentage. She also pitched a complete-game victory in the nightcap.
Junior Blake Ringle and senior Liz Dike also belted a pair of homers on the day. Ringle batted in five runs and Dike drove in three scores. Freshman Tash Coffiel-Nelson returned to the lineup and went 2-of-3 at the plate while fellow infielder Erin McGonigal went 2-of-4 at the dish.
CU junior Micaela Whitney earned the starting nod in the circle for game one of the double dip.
Game one started with a pair of two-run showings in the first frame. USD hit two solo homers and Ringle popped a two-run shot to even the score at 2-all.
South Dakota racked up five runs on two more home runs in the top of the second inning to take a 7-2 lead. Creighton got two back in the bottom of the inning on two its and a USD error to make it 7-4.
After a scoreless third inning, the Coyotes posted a run on an RBI single to push the lead to 8-4 in the top of the fourth.
Creighton took over the lead at 10-8 with a six-run fourth frame that included Daro's grand slam.
That lead held until the top of the sixth when USD moved ahead 11-10 on a three-run homer.
The Bluejays tied it at 11-all in the bottom of the sixth when Daro blasted a leadoff homer to right field.
The teams went scoreless in the seventh to move to extra innings.
The Coyotes took advantage of a high pitch count for Whitney and batted around in the eighth to produce nine runs for a 20-11 advantage.
Ringle led off the CU eighth with a solo shot to left field to yield the final score.
Whitney dropped to 8-6 with the loss.
Daro started game two in the circle for the Jays.
The Coyotes kept their offense humming in the top of the first, recording four runs on three hits and two CU errors.
Creighton got two back in the bottom of the second in part due to a solo shot off the bat of Daro to make it 4-2.
The Jays crept closer after Dike cranked one over the left field fence as the Coyotes held on to a 4-3 advantage.
Daro and the Jays' defense held USD off the scoreboard for four innings and took over the lead in the bottom of the fifth. In her next at-bat Dike blasted a two-run homer over the right center wall to give Creighton a 5-4 lead.
South Dakota fought back in the top of the sixth and scored two runs on a pair of RBI singles to go back on top at 6-5.
Creighton finished the high-scoring day with two in the bottom of the sixth. The Bluejays manufactured a pair of runs on two hits, two walks and a Coyote error to claim the lead for good at 7-6.
Daro improved to 2-1 on the year with the victory.
The Bluejays return to BIG EAST play against Seton Hall for a three-game set beginning at noon on Saturday at the CU Sports Complex.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Madison Frain (6-8)
L: Whitney, Micaela (8-6)
Batting:
2B: Katie Dinning 1 ; Morgan Hancock 1 ; Katie Cochran 2
HR: Yvon Minogue 1 ; Katie Dinning 2 ; Matley Jones 1 ; Allie Daly 3
RBI: Yvon Minogue 4 ; Katie Dinning 5 ; Matley Jones 2 ; Allie Daly 6 ; Katie Cochran 1 ; Shelby Keil 1 ; Christy Warnock 1
SH: Katie Cochran 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Yvon Minogue 3 ; Katie Dinning 4 ; Matley Jones 2 ; Allie Daly 3 ; Morgan Hancock 2 ; Katie Cochran 2 ; Shelby Keil 2 ; Sydney Hancock 1 ; Christy Warnock 1
HBP: Allie Daly 1
Batting:
2B: Reinhart, Allie 1
HR: Ringle, Blake 2 ; Daro, Jen 2
RBI: Trulin, Michelle 1 ; Ringle, Blake 4 ; Daro, Jen 5 ; McMahon, Bri 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Allender, Kelsey 2 ; Dike, Liz 1 ; Ringle, Blake 2 ; Nekola, Paige 1 ; Daro, Jen 2 ; Reinhart, Allie 1 ; Coffiel, Tash 1 ; McGonigal, Erin 2
CS: Trulin, Michelle 1 ; Dike, Liz 1
