Saturday, February 12
El Paso, Texas
2:00 pm
Creighton University
2-1
3
vs
1
Abilene Christian
1-3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
R
H
E
Creighton
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
3
5
0
Abilene Christian
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
6
1
Photo by: Ace Acosta
Softball Outlasts Abilene Christian in Extra Innings, Falls to UTEP During Day Two of UTEP Invitational
2/12/2022 8:08:00 PM | Softball
Box Score 1Box Score 2Creighton vs. Abilene Christian Final StatsCreighton vs. UTEP Final StatsPhoto Gallery
Bluejays defeated Wildcats 3-1 before falling 8-7 to Miners
El Paso, Texas -- Sam Alm's two-run single in the eighth inning lifted the Creighton softball team to a 3-1 extra innings win over Abilene Christian before falling, 8-6, to UTEP during day two of the UTEP Invitation on Saturday.
The Bluejays moved to 2-2 on the year with the split on Saturday.
Alm, who finished game one 3-for-4 with three RBI, made junior Mikayla Santa Cruz a winning pitcher after the junior tossed her second complete game of the season. Cruz allowed just one run in eight innings inside the circle, striking out nine Wildcat batters.
Sid Holman-Mansell was handed the loss. She threw all eight innings as well, allowing five hits, two earned runs and struck out nine.
Abilene Christian took a 1-0 lead in the bottom half of the third inning. The Wildcats used a leadoff walk and a pair of singles to push the first run of the game across the plate.
Creighton evened the score with a run in the top of the sixth inning. Junior Brittney Manthie led off the inning with a bunt single and was advanced to third by Cayla Nielsen and Kailey Wilson. Junior Sam Alm then delivered a two-out RBI single through the right side of the infield to even the game up at 1-1.
Neither team dented the scoreboard again until Alm delivered a bases loaded two-run single in the eighth inning to seal the win for the Jays. Freshman Sydra Seville was placed at second to start the extra frame as part of the NCAA extra innings rule. She was advanced to third by Manthie, who reached on an infield single, before Nielsen loaded the bases by reaching on an error by the Wildcats third baseman. Following a fielder's choice, Alm drove in her second and third runs of the game with a two-run single giving the Jays a 3-1 lead.
Abilene Christian worked the bases loaded in the bottom half of the inning before Santa Cruz retired Gonzales to end the game.
During the second game of the day, the Bluejays and the Miners went scoreless through the first three innings, before both teams bats came alive.
Creighton scored the first run of the game with an RBI single in the top of the fourth inning. Wilson led off the inning with a double to the centerfield wall and later scored as Alyssa Gappa laced an RBI single to right field giving the Bluejays a 1-0 lead.
UTEP responded with a run of their own in the bottom half of the fourth inning to even things up at one apiece.
The Bluejays took the lead right back in the fifth inning as Nielsen hit a triple to the left center wall before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Alm.
The Miners answered with three runs on just one hit in the bottom of the fifth to take a 4-2 lead.
The Bluejays responded though with four runs in the sixth to take the lead once more. Gappa led off the inning with a towering home run over the centerfield wall, cutting the Miners lead down to 4-3. Sophomore Emma Rosonke singled to right field for her first hit of the season before advancing to second on a walk by Madeline Vejvoda. Manthie loaded the bases with an infield single before another two-run single from Alm lifted the Jays to a 5-4 lead.
Creighton was not done there as junior Kiara Mills laced a liner down the left field line scoring Nielsen and extending the Bluejays lead out to 6-4.
UTEP once again answered with four more runs in the bottom half of the inning taking a 8-6 lead into the top of the seventh.
In the seventh with the Jays trailing by two, Wilson launched her first home run of the season over the left field wall to cut the deficit in half for the Jays. Gappa was then hit by a pitch and served as a game tying run at first base. Ryann Glenn drew a walk advancing freshman Sydra Seville, who was pinch running for Gappa, to second. With the tying run on second and the winning run on first, the Bluejays were unable to push either across the plate as the Miners got two quick out and claimed the 8-7 victory.
Wilson recorded a team-high three hits and had an RBI and two runs scored, while Mills and Gappa each finished with two hits and two RBI against the Miners.
The Bluejays wraps up the UTEP Invitational with a game against Abilene Christian at 10:30 a.m. Central on Sunday morning.
The Bluejays moved to 2-2 on the year with the split on Saturday.
Alm, who finished game one 3-for-4 with three RBI, made junior Mikayla Santa Cruz a winning pitcher after the junior tossed her second complete game of the season. Cruz allowed just one run in eight innings inside the circle, striking out nine Wildcat batters.
Sid Holman-Mansell was handed the loss. She threw all eight innings as well, allowing five hits, two earned runs and struck out nine.
Abilene Christian took a 1-0 lead in the bottom half of the third inning. The Wildcats used a leadoff walk and a pair of singles to push the first run of the game across the plate.
Creighton evened the score with a run in the top of the sixth inning. Junior Brittney Manthie led off the inning with a bunt single and was advanced to third by Cayla Nielsen and Kailey Wilson. Junior Sam Alm then delivered a two-out RBI single through the right side of the infield to even the game up at 1-1.
Neither team dented the scoreboard again until Alm delivered a bases loaded two-run single in the eighth inning to seal the win for the Jays. Freshman Sydra Seville was placed at second to start the extra frame as part of the NCAA extra innings rule. She was advanced to third by Manthie, who reached on an infield single, before Nielsen loaded the bases by reaching on an error by the Wildcats third baseman. Following a fielder's choice, Alm drove in her second and third runs of the game with a two-run single giving the Jays a 3-1 lead.
Abilene Christian worked the bases loaded in the bottom half of the inning before Santa Cruz retired Gonzales to end the game.
During the second game of the day, the Bluejays and the Miners went scoreless through the first three innings, before both teams bats came alive.
Creighton scored the first run of the game with an RBI single in the top of the fourth inning. Wilson led off the inning with a double to the centerfield wall and later scored as Alyssa Gappa laced an RBI single to right field giving the Bluejays a 1-0 lead.
UTEP responded with a run of their own in the bottom half of the fourth inning to even things up at one apiece.
The Bluejays took the lead right back in the fifth inning as Nielsen hit a triple to the left center wall before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Alm.
The Miners answered with three runs on just one hit in the bottom of the fifth to take a 4-2 lead.
The Bluejays responded though with four runs in the sixth to take the lead once more. Gappa led off the inning with a towering home run over the centerfield wall, cutting the Miners lead down to 4-3. Sophomore Emma Rosonke singled to right field for her first hit of the season before advancing to second on a walk by Madeline Vejvoda. Manthie loaded the bases with an infield single before another two-run single from Alm lifted the Jays to a 5-4 lead.
Creighton was not done there as junior Kiara Mills laced a liner down the left field line scoring Nielsen and extending the Bluejays lead out to 6-4.
UTEP once again answered with four more runs in the bottom half of the inning taking a 8-6 lead into the top of the seventh.
In the seventh with the Jays trailing by two, Wilson launched her first home run of the season over the left field wall to cut the deficit in half for the Jays. Gappa was then hit by a pitch and served as a game tying run at first base. Ryann Glenn drew a walk advancing freshman Sydra Seville, who was pinch running for Gappa, to second. With the tying run on second and the winning run on first, the Bluejays were unable to push either across the plate as the Miners got two quick out and claimed the 8-7 victory.
Wilson recorded a team-high three hits and had an RBI and two runs scored, while Mills and Gappa each finished with two hits and two RBI against the Miners.
The Bluejays wraps up the UTEP Invitational with a game against Abilene Christian at 10:30 a.m. Central on Sunday morning.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Santa Cruz, Mikayla (2-0)
L: Holman-Manse (0-2)
Batting:
RBI: Alm, Sam 3
SH: Nielsen, Cayla 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Manthie, Brittney 2 ; Nielsen, Cayla 1
SB: Alm, Sam 1
HBP: Vejvoda, Madeline 1
Batting:
RBI: Burris, C 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gaspar, L 1
CS: Davila, M 1
HBP: Burris, C 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
0
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
UTL
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
IF
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