Creighton University
11-20, 0
St. John's
18-10, 0
Softball Drops Pink Out Game Against St. John's
4/2/2017 2:31:00 PM | Softball
Creighton erased a 5-1 deficit to take a one-run lead before the Red Storm scored eight in the sixth
Creighton is now 11-20 overall and 2-4 in BIG EAST play, while St. John's is now 18-10 and 6-0 in conference action.
The Bluejays rallied from a 5-1 deficit to take a 6-5 lead after five innings before the Red Storm scored eight runs in the sixth.
St. John's showed its muscle in the top of the first with a home run over the left-field wall to take an early 1-0 advantage.
Creighton countered with one run on two hits in the bottom half of the opening frame. Ashley Cantu opened the Jays' half with a single to center and Tash Coffiel followed by reaching on an error by the third baseman. After a groundout and walk, Sam Crowley delivered with the single to third for the first Bluejay run to tie the game at 1-1.
The Red Storm regained the lead with four runs on three hits in the top of the second inning.Â
Bryana Clark came on in relief for the Bluejays in the third and retired the side in order. Krystal Puga singled to center field to lead off the frame, but Allie Reinhart threw out Puga at second base.Â
Creighton and St. John's traded zeros in the bottom of the third and top of the fourth before the Bluejays pulled within one with three two-out runs in the fourth.
Coffiel, Sam Dellinger and Anna O'Gorman recorded three consecutive RBI-singles with two outs to make it 6-5 in favor of the Red Storm after four innings.
Clark allowed two base runners in the top of the fifth without allowing a run. The junior right-hander recorded a strikeout for the final out of the frame with runners at first and second.
In the bottom of the fifth, Aujanae McCoy's first career home run as a Bluejay gave Creighton its first lead, 6-5. The senior infielder sent a 1-2 offering over the right-field wall for a two-run homer.Â
St. John's wasted no time to swing the momentum back to its dugout with eight runs on five hits and three Bluejay errors during the top of the sixth. Gretchen Bowie's grand slam down the left-field line gave the Red Storm a 13-6 advantage.Â
The Red Storm also loaded the bases during the seventh before a fielder's choice ground out to short ended the frame without any runs coming across to score.
The Jays put two on during its final at bat, but could not cut into the final margin.
Jen Daro was hit by the pitch for the 35th time in her Creighton career during the bottom of the seventh. Daro is now Creighton's leader in hit by pitches, passing Michelle Graner's mark of 34 (2007-2010).Â
McCoy finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs scored and her fifth-inning home run to lead the Bluejays' offense. Coffiel and Jordyn Sturgeon also finished with two hits a piece.Â
Creighton is back in action for a mid-week nonconference game on Tuesday night in Lawrence, Kan. The Bluejays will face the Kansas Jayhawks at 6 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Madison Morris (4-2)
L: Clark, Bryana (5-9)
Batting:
2B: Brittany Garcia 1
HR: Monique Landini 1 ; Gretchen Bowie 1
RBI: Monique Landini 3 ; Christina Melendez 1 ; Savannah Warren 2 ; Krystal Puga 1 ; Gretchen Bowie 5
Base Running:
RUNS: Lauren Zick 2 ; Monique Landini 2 ; Christina Melendez 1 ; Kaitlin Mattera 1 ; Krystal Puga 1 ; Brittany Garcia 2 ; Gretchen Bowie 2 ; Hannah Anderson 2
SB: Hannah Anderson 1
HBP: Christina Melendez 2
Batting:
HR: McCoy, Aujanae 1
RBI: Coffiel, Tash 1 ; Dellinger, Sam 1 ; O'Gorman, Anna 1 ; Crowley, Sam 1 ; McCoy, Aujanae 2
SH: Coffiel, Tash 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cantu, Ashley 2 ; Coffiel, Tash 1 ; Daro, Jen 1 ; McCoy, Aujanae 2
CS: Cantu, Ashley 1
HBP: Crowley, Sam 1 ; Daro, Jen 1
