Creighton University
14-16, 5-1
Georgetown
20-15, 0-3
Sixth-Run Ninth Gives Baseball Sweep of Georgetown, 11-9
4/15/2017 2:43:00 PM | Baseball
The improbable victory extended the Bluejays' season-high win streak to six games as Creighton moved to 14-16 on the season and 5-1 in BIG EAST play. Georgetown, meanwhile, fell to 20-15 overall and 0-3 in conference action.
Creighton's comeback truly began with two down in the eighth. Trailing 9-3 with just four outs remaining, freshman Will Robertson launched his first home run as a Bluejay over the right field wall. Senior Riley Landuyt followed with a double into the left field corner and fellow senior Bryce Only laced an RBI single to right. Only was cut down trying to reach second, but the Bluejays drew closer at 9-5.
Georgetown went to closer Nick Morreale as the Creighton ninth began, freshmen Parker Upton and Jason Allbery greeted the right hander with back-to-back singles through the left side. Leadoff hitter sophomore Clark Brinkman drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases as the excitement in the ballpark started to rise. Freshman Isaac Collins punched a 2-2 pitch through the right side to make it 9-6, then sophomore Thomas Luevano worked a full-count walk.
Now a 9-7 contest with the bases loaded full of Bluejays and nobody out, Georgetown head coach Pete Wilk came to the mound to bring in left-hander Alex Deise. Sophomore Michael Emodi, who hit two home runs on Friday, was hit by a 0-2 pitch as Creighton continued around the bases. One out later Landuyt blasted a long single just over Hoyas outfielder Zach Racusin to tie the game at 9-9. Only came to the plate with the bags still loaded and ripped a two-run single into left to plate Luevano and Emodi. A ground-ball double play ended the inning, but Creighton had seized control of the game.
The Bluejays sent their seventh pitcher of the contest, junior Ethan DeCaster, out for the ninth. DeCaster needed just nine pitches to set Georgetown down in order to bring the contest to a close.
Junior reliever Ryan Tapani earned the win (3-1) as he retired the only man he faced in the eighth inning, stranding a Georgetown runner at second.
Creighton got on the board first in the top of the third as Allbery stroked a leadoff single to center, then Luevano an RBI single up the middle. Georgetown answered with four runs on four singles and a walk to take a 4-1 lead.
The Bluejays came right back in the fifth as Landuyt was hit by a pitch, then Only smashed a home run to right center to pull Creighton within one at 4-3.
A leadoff double from Robertson in the sixth put Creighton in position to tie the game, but the opportunity slipped past. The momentum of the defensive stand propelled the Hoyas at the dish as Georgetown plated another quartet of runs, this time on two doubles, a triple, a single and another walk.
The Hoyas final run of the contest raced across the plate in the seventh, when Ryan Weisenberg bounced an RBI single up the middle.
Offensively it was Only paving the way for Creighton, finishing the day 4-for-5 with five RBI and a run scored.
The Bluejays return to the diamond on Tuesday, April 18 as Creighton hosts intrastate rival Nebraska at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, with first pitch set for 6:35 pm. The game will be broadcast throughout the state on NET (Nebraska Educational Television).
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Tapani, Ryan (3-1)
L: MORREALE, Nick (0-1)
S: DeCaster, Ethan (3)
Batting:
2B: Robertson, Will 1 ; Landuyt, Riley 1
HR: Robertson, Will 1 ; Only, Bryce 1
RBI: Collins, Isaac 1 ; Luevano, Thomas 2 ; Emodi, Michael 1 ; Robertson, Will 1 ; Landuyt, Riley 1 ; Only, Bryce 5
SH: Brinkman, Clark 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Brinkman, Clark 1 ; Collins, Isaac 1 ; Luevano, Thomas 1 ; Emodi, Michael 1 ; Robertson, Will 1 ; Landuyt, Riley 2 ; Only, Bryce 1 ; Upton, Parker 1 ; Allbery, Jason 2
HBP: Emodi, Michael 1 ; Landuyt, Riley 1
Batting:
2B: GARZA, Eric 1 ; HALL, Beau 1
3B: BERNAUER, Alex 1
RBI: BERNSTEIN, Jake 1 ; KUZBEL, Jake 1 ; GARZA, Eric 1 ; STEVENS, Sammy 2 ; RACUSIN, Zach 1 ; BERNAUER, Alex 1 ; WEISENBERG, Ryan 1 ; HALL, Beau 1
SH: DERENZI, Michael 2
SF: RACUSIN, Zach 1
Base Running:
RUNS: KUZBEL, Jake 1 ; GARZA, Eric 2 ; STEVENS, Sammy 1 ; RACUSIN, Zach 1 ; BERNAUER, Alex 1 ; WEISENBERG, Ryan 1 ; HALL, Beau 2
HBP: DERENZI, Michael 1
