Tuesday, May 8
6:30 pm
Creighton University
5
vs
4
Nebraska
Jason Allbery
Photo by: Steve Branscombe
Baseball Completes Season Sweep of Nebraska With 5-4 Win
5/8/2018 10:12:00 PM | Baseball
Bluejays never trail and survive a Husker rally in the ninth
OMAHA, Neb. -- The Creighton Baseball team finished off its first 3-0 season sweep over Nebraska in history with a 5-4 victory before 9,137 fans at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha on Tuesday, May 8th.
The victory moved the Bluejays to 27-14 on the season, while Nebraska fell to 22-24.
Batting as the visiting team, Creighton scored in the top of the first and never trailed in the contest, though the Cornhuskers fought back to tie the game twice.
Creighton's first inning tally came courtesy of juniors Clark Brinkman and Will Robertson. Brinkman opened the inning with a single to left-center, stole second and went to third on a ground out from junior Michael Emodi. Robertson's sac fly went deep enough to center for the easy first inning run.
The Huskers answered in the second as Luke Roskam delivered a leadoff double and scored from third with one down via an RBI single from Jaxon Hallmark.
Creighton reclaimed the lead in the fourth with well executed small ball. Junior Thomas Luevano singled to left, moved to second on a sac bunt, then scored on sophomore Jason Allbery's RBI single through the left side.
Nebraska, however, answered once more in the sixth as Mojo Hagge poked a leadoff double down the left field line and came into score on a sac fly from Gunner Hellstrom.
The offense for both teams came alive in the eighth. Creighton got a single from Emodi, then Robertson worked a walk. Nebraska countered by going to their bullpen for Max Schreiber, but a well placed sacrifice bunt from junior Jack Strunc put runners at second and third. After an intentional walk to Luevano loaded the bases, junior Ryan Mantle gave the Bluejays a 3-2 edge with a sac fly.
Before firing the next pitch of the inning, Schreiber was called for a critical balk to send Robertson to third and Luevano to second. Allbery took full advantage with a two-run single to left-center to make it 5-2.
The bottom half of the frame saw the Huskers use a walk, a single and a double to close the game to 5-3, then Creighton head coach Ed Servais called on closer Bobby Kametas.Â
Before the bottom of the eighth began, Servais had also inserted sophomore Nick Ortega as a defensive replacement in left. That moved paid immediate dividends as Hellstrom drove a ball to deep left against Kametas. Racing toward the gap, Ortega plucked the ball out of the air for the first out. Nebraska's Scott Schriber scored on the play from third, but Jesse Wilkening was held at second. Kametas walked Roskam intentionally, then got a fly out and a fielder's choice to keep Creighton up 5-4.
Nebraska threatened once more in the final frame with a walk and a one-out single to put runners at the corners. Kametas stepped up with a strikeout of the Husker's biggest bat in Schriber, then got Wilkening to fly out to left to secure the win.
Creighton reliever Jonah Smith picked up the win as he got the final out of the seventh to move to 3-1, while Kametas notched his team leading fifth save of the season.
Nebraska reliever Ben Klenke took the loss (0-1), allowing two runs on a hit and a walk in one inning of work.
Allbery's bat guided the Bluejays with two hits and a season-best three RBI.
Creighton and Nebraska have had 0 lead changes in their last 7 meetings. Tonight was the 3rd time in as many meetings this year that Creighton scored in the first inning.
The Bluejays return to action tomorrow as Creighton battles Nebraska-Omaha at Werner Park. First pitch is slated for 7:05 pm.
The victory moved the Bluejays to 27-14 on the season, while Nebraska fell to 22-24.
Batting as the visiting team, Creighton scored in the top of the first and never trailed in the contest, though the Cornhuskers fought back to tie the game twice.
Creighton's first inning tally came courtesy of juniors Clark Brinkman and Will Robertson. Brinkman opened the inning with a single to left-center, stole second and went to third on a ground out from junior Michael Emodi. Robertson's sac fly went deep enough to center for the easy first inning run.
The Huskers answered in the second as Luke Roskam delivered a leadoff double and scored from third with one down via an RBI single from Jaxon Hallmark.
Creighton reclaimed the lead in the fourth with well executed small ball. Junior Thomas Luevano singled to left, moved to second on a sac bunt, then scored on sophomore Jason Allbery's RBI single through the left side.
Nebraska, however, answered once more in the sixth as Mojo Hagge poked a leadoff double down the left field line and came into score on a sac fly from Gunner Hellstrom.
The offense for both teams came alive in the eighth. Creighton got a single from Emodi, then Robertson worked a walk. Nebraska countered by going to their bullpen for Max Schreiber, but a well placed sacrifice bunt from junior Jack Strunc put runners at second and third. After an intentional walk to Luevano loaded the bases, junior Ryan Mantle gave the Bluejays a 3-2 edge with a sac fly.
Before firing the next pitch of the inning, Schreiber was called for a critical balk to send Robertson to third and Luevano to second. Allbery took full advantage with a two-run single to left-center to make it 5-2.
The bottom half of the frame saw the Huskers use a walk, a single and a double to close the game to 5-3, then Creighton head coach Ed Servais called on closer Bobby Kametas.Â
Before the bottom of the eighth began, Servais had also inserted sophomore Nick Ortega as a defensive replacement in left. That moved paid immediate dividends as Hellstrom drove a ball to deep left against Kametas. Racing toward the gap, Ortega plucked the ball out of the air for the first out. Nebraska's Scott Schriber scored on the play from third, but Jesse Wilkening was held at second. Kametas walked Roskam intentionally, then got a fly out and a fielder's choice to keep Creighton up 5-4.
Nebraska threatened once more in the final frame with a walk and a one-out single to put runners at the corners. Kametas stepped up with a strikeout of the Husker's biggest bat in Schriber, then got Wilkening to fly out to left to secure the win.
Creighton reliever Jonah Smith picked up the win as he got the final out of the seventh to move to 3-1, while Kametas notched his team leading fifth save of the season.
Nebraska reliever Ben Klenke took the loss (0-1), allowing two runs on a hit and a walk in one inning of work.
Allbery's bat guided the Bluejays with two hits and a season-best three RBI.
Creighton and Nebraska have had 0 lead changes in their last 7 meetings. Tonight was the 3rd time in as many meetings this year that Creighton scored in the first inning.
The Bluejays return to action tomorrow as Creighton battles Nebraska-Omaha at Werner Park. First pitch is slated for 7:05 pm.
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