
Sydnee Eck
Photo by: Jason Wise Photography
Eck Strikes Out 11 Batters as Creighton Edges Sam Houston State, 2-1
2/27/2016 1:22:00 PM | Softball
Bluejays split games in North Texas Invitational
DENTON, Texas - Reigning BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week, Sydnee Eck, struck out 11 batters as Creighton earned its third victory in four tries, edging Sam Houston State, 2-1, in the Bluejays' opening game of the North Texas Invitational. Creighton suffered an 11-1 setback to host North Texas in its second and final contest of the day.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Saturday, Feb. 27 vs. Sam Houston State - W, 2-1 | BOX SCORE (PDF)
Saturday, Feb. 27 at North Texas - L, 1-11 | BOX SCORE (PDF)
Sunday, Feb. 28 vs. Sam Houston State - 9:00AM | LIVE STATS
Sunday, Feb. 28 vs. North Texas - 11:00AM | LIVE STATS
SAM HOUSTON STATE
Eck commanded the contest from the onset, striking out eight of the Bearkats' (2-8) first ten batters. She struck out Sam Houston State's side in both the second and third innings, allowing the Bluejays (5-7) to take a 1-0 lead.
Jen Daro's RBI-single in the top of the third plated senior Kelsey Allender and gave Creighton an early, 1-0 advantage. Daro, who leads the Bluejays with 17 runs batted in, continued her hot hitting from last weekend's Troy Cox Classic where she went 6-for-12 at the plate with three home runs and 13 RBI.
With two outs in the top of the fifth, Daro doubled to left field to keep the Bluejays' inning alive. Senior Blake Ringle then drew her BIG EAST-leading 13th walk of the season, setting the table for Allie Reinhart.
Reinhart promptly turned on a 1-0 pitch, doubling to right center, scoring Daro, and extending Creighton's lead to 2-0.
Eck allowed just three hits over the remaining three innings. The Andale, Kan., native struck out the Bearkats' final two batters to seal the victory for Creighton.
Over her last five outings, Eck has posted a 4-1 record, fanning 37 batters in 23 and two-thirds innings of work. Saturday's 11-strikeout performance came just one week after Eck struck out a career-high 12 batters in Creighton's 6-1 win versus Western Michigan in the Troy Cox Classic.
Creighton will take on host North Texas today at 3:30 p.m. Live stats for the matchup can be found below.
NORTH TEXAS
Creighton was unable to put an end to the Mean Green's win streak as North Texas clinched its fifth-consecutive victory. The Mean Green (8-4) are one week removed from twice beating 21st-ranked Baylor on the road.
The Mean Green jumped out to an early lead, scoring nine runs in the opening three innings of play. Highlighting North Texas' scoring surge was a three-run home run by Harley Parella in the first inning, and a two-run home run by Kelli Schkade in the third.
North Texas extended its lead to 11-0 by scoring one run in the fourth and another in the fifth.
In Creighton's final at bat, Daro singled on a full count to score Tosh Coffiel. The RBI-single marked the fourth time in Creighton's last five games that Daro drove in a run.
Michal Hylton and Kelly Mardones saw action in the circle for the Bluejays, with Hylton tossing the first two and one-third inning, and Mardones finishing the game out in relief.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Saturday, Feb. 27 vs. Sam Houston State - W, 2-1 | BOX SCORE (PDF)
Saturday, Feb. 27 at North Texas - L, 1-11 | BOX SCORE (PDF)
Sunday, Feb. 28 vs. Sam Houston State - 9:00AM | LIVE STATS
Sunday, Feb. 28 vs. North Texas - 11:00AM | LIVE STATS
SAM HOUSTON STATE
Eck commanded the contest from the onset, striking out eight of the Bearkats' (2-8) first ten batters. She struck out Sam Houston State's side in both the second and third innings, allowing the Bluejays (5-7) to take a 1-0 lead.
Jen Daro's RBI-single in the top of the third plated senior Kelsey Allender and gave Creighton an early, 1-0 advantage. Daro, who leads the Bluejays with 17 runs batted in, continued her hot hitting from last weekend's Troy Cox Classic where she went 6-for-12 at the plate with three home runs and 13 RBI.
With two outs in the top of the fifth, Daro doubled to left field to keep the Bluejays' inning alive. Senior Blake Ringle then drew her BIG EAST-leading 13th walk of the season, setting the table for Allie Reinhart.
Reinhart promptly turned on a 1-0 pitch, doubling to right center, scoring Daro, and extending Creighton's lead to 2-0.
Eck allowed just three hits over the remaining three innings. The Andale, Kan., native struck out the Bearkats' final two batters to seal the victory for Creighton.
FINAL: Creighton 2, Sam Houston State 1
— Creighton Softball (@BluejaySoftball) February 27, 2016
Reigning @BIGEAST Pitcher of the Week, Sydnee Eck, strikes out 11 batters! pic.twitter.com/2ccNQZTNNu
Over her last five outings, Eck has posted a 4-1 record, fanning 37 batters in 23 and two-thirds innings of work. Saturday's 11-strikeout performance came just one week after Eck struck out a career-high 12 batters in Creighton's 6-1 win versus Western Michigan in the Troy Cox Classic.
Creighton will take on host North Texas today at 3:30 p.m. Live stats for the matchup can be found below.
NORTH TEXAS
Creighton was unable to put an end to the Mean Green's win streak as North Texas clinched its fifth-consecutive victory. The Mean Green (8-4) are one week removed from twice beating 21st-ranked Baylor on the road.
The Mean Green jumped out to an early lead, scoring nine runs in the opening three innings of play. Highlighting North Texas' scoring surge was a three-run home run by Harley Parella in the first inning, and a two-run home run by Kelli Schkade in the third.
North Texas extended its lead to 11-0 by scoring one run in the fourth and another in the fifth.
In Creighton's final at bat, Daro singled on a full count to score Tosh Coffiel. The RBI-single marked the fourth time in Creighton's last five games that Daro drove in a run.
Michal Hylton and Kelly Mardones saw action in the circle for the Bluejays, with Hylton tossing the first two and one-third inning, and Mardones finishing the game out in relief.
FINAL: North Texas 11, Creighton 1 | Creighton is back in action tomorrow morning at 9AM vs. Sam Houston State pic.twitter.com/3An60jjXnw
— Creighton Softball (@BluejaySoftball) February 27, 2016
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Eck, Sydnee (4-3)
L: Franks, J. (0-2)

Batting:
2B: Daro, Jen 1 ; Reinhart, Allie 1
3B: Coffiel, Tash 1
RBI: Daro, Jen 1 ; Reinhart, Allie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Allender, Kelsey 1 ; Daro, Jen 1
SB: Lewis, Jessica 1

Batting:
2B: Castillo, T. 1
3B: Homer, B 1
RBI: Homer, B 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Castillo, T. 1
SB: Allen, D 1
CS: Homer, B 1
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