Tuesday, March 29
Omaha, Neb.
6:30 pm
Creighton University
12-7
3
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Nebraska
9-14
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9
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Nebraska
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1
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Creighton
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1
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Photo by: Chelsea Nicholson
Baseball Tops Huskers 3-2 In First Meeting Since 2019
3/29/2022 9:41:00 PM | Baseball
Creighton improves to 12-7 with midweek win
Omaha, Neb. -- Four Creighton pitchers danced around trouble all night long as Creighton Baseball posted a 3-2 victory over in-state rival Nebraska on Tuesday, March 29, in the first spring meeting between the programs since 2019.
Creighton improved to 12-7 with the victory, while Nebraska fell to 9-14. CU is now 6-0 at home this season in the newly-renamed Charles Schwab Field Omaha.
Closer Tommy Steier picked up his third save of the season, working out of jams in each of the final three innings to earn the three inning save on a night where the Bluejays had to work around an uncharacteristic five errors.
The junior entered the game in the seventh inning with runners on the corners and immediately induced a 4-6-3 double play ball that trimmed the Bluejay lead to 3-2. The Jays escaped further damage with Brice Matthews was caught stealing to end the frame, his first time being thrown out in 10 attempts this season.
In the eighth inning, the Cornhuskers put men on the corners with no outs after a double, passed ball and hit batsmen brought up the heart of the Nebraska order. But Steier struck out Griffin Everitt and Garrett Anglim consecutively before Luke Jessen grounded out to first.
The top of the ninth featured more drama. Core Jackson reached on a one-out error, only to be picked off. Nick Wimmers reached on an infield single before being replaced by pinch-runner Leighton Banjoff. Banjoff advanced to second base on an errant pickoff throw before Matthews grounded out to third base to end the game.
Nebraska scored the game's initial run in the top of the second off Dylan Tebrake, who lasted 1.2 innings before being lifted after 32 pitches. His final offering was a single up the middle from Jackson that scored Anglim. Bluejay freshman Malakai Vetock then made his Charles Schwab Field Omaha debut in a most unusual fashion, cutting down Jackson when the Husker freshman tried to steal second base before a pitch was even thrown.
Creighton took the lead for good in the bottom of the second inning. Nolan Sailors reached on a bunt single and motored to third on Jack Grace's hit-and-run single. Sailors scored when Nolan Clifford singled to to tie the game and Grace scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kyle Hess.
The Bluejays added an insurance run to make it 3-1 in the fifth inning with an unearned tally, as Hogan Helligso doubled and later scored when NU first baseman Jack Steil dropped the ball en route to covering first base.
Vetock (1-0) earned his first collegiate win with a scoreless inning of work before Paul Bergstrom came on to shut down the Huskers. The junior southpaw threw 3.1 innings, allowing just one unearned run, before passing the ball on to Steier for the final three innings. Bergstrom retired eight straight men at one point before being pulled after the first two men reached in the seventh inning.
For the night, Nebraska hit just 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position and failed to get a hit in all four at bats when it got a runner to third with less than two outs. Jackson joined Cam Chick as Huskers with two hits on the evening. Jaxon Jelkin (0-1) lost his first decision at the collegiate level despite tying his career-high with 2.2 innings of work for the third straight appearance. He was the first of five Husker hurlers to face Creighton.
Creighton's offense was held to four singles and a double but did just enough to beat Nebraska for the sixth time in the past seven meetings.
NOTES: The win was Creighton's 50th all-time against Nebraska according to available records ... Eleven members of the Creighton women's basketball team threw out the first pitch prior to the game. The Bluejays ended their 2021-22 season in the Elite Eight on Sunday ... Creighton's five errors were its most ever committed inside Charles Schwab Field Omaha and one shy of the park record set by Nebraska in 2019 against Michigan in a Big Ten Tournament game ... Jared Wegner reached base for the 12th straight game, but Andrew Meggs had his streak of reaching base snapped after 10 straight contests... Nolan Clifford extended his season-high six game hitting streak with a single in the second inning ... The game was televised statewide on Nebraska Public Media, the first of five scheduled television broadcasts this season ... Creighton improved to 131-1 all-time when leading after eight innings at Charles Schwab Field Omaha ... The win was 599th at Creighton for 19th-year coach Ed Servais. Nineteen of those wins have come against Nebraska ... Creighton is now 6-1 in games started by Dylan Tebrake this season.
Much more to come...
Creighton improved to 12-7 with the victory, while Nebraska fell to 9-14. CU is now 6-0 at home this season in the newly-renamed Charles Schwab Field Omaha.
Closer Tommy Steier picked up his third save of the season, working out of jams in each of the final three innings to earn the three inning save on a night where the Bluejays had to work around an uncharacteristic five errors.
The junior entered the game in the seventh inning with runners on the corners and immediately induced a 4-6-3 double play ball that trimmed the Bluejay lead to 3-2. The Jays escaped further damage with Brice Matthews was caught stealing to end the frame, his first time being thrown out in 10 attempts this season.
In the eighth inning, the Cornhuskers put men on the corners with no outs after a double, passed ball and hit batsmen brought up the heart of the Nebraska order. But Steier struck out Griffin Everitt and Garrett Anglim consecutively before Luke Jessen grounded out to first.
The top of the ninth featured more drama. Core Jackson reached on a one-out error, only to be picked off. Nick Wimmers reached on an infield single before being replaced by pinch-runner Leighton Banjoff. Banjoff advanced to second base on an errant pickoff throw before Matthews grounded out to third base to end the game.
Nebraska scored the game's initial run in the top of the second off Dylan Tebrake, who lasted 1.2 innings before being lifted after 32 pitches. His final offering was a single up the middle from Jackson that scored Anglim. Bluejay freshman Malakai Vetock then made his Charles Schwab Field Omaha debut in a most unusual fashion, cutting down Jackson when the Husker freshman tried to steal second base before a pitch was even thrown.
Creighton took the lead for good in the bottom of the second inning. Nolan Sailors reached on a bunt single and motored to third on Jack Grace's hit-and-run single. Sailors scored when Nolan Clifford singled to to tie the game and Grace scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kyle Hess.
The Bluejays added an insurance run to make it 3-1 in the fifth inning with an unearned tally, as Hogan Helligso doubled and later scored when NU first baseman Jack Steil dropped the ball en route to covering first base.
Vetock (1-0) earned his first collegiate win with a scoreless inning of work before Paul Bergstrom came on to shut down the Huskers. The junior southpaw threw 3.1 innings, allowing just one unearned run, before passing the ball on to Steier for the final three innings. Bergstrom retired eight straight men at one point before being pulled after the first two men reached in the seventh inning.
For the night, Nebraska hit just 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position and failed to get a hit in all four at bats when it got a runner to third with less than two outs. Jackson joined Cam Chick as Huskers with two hits on the evening. Jaxon Jelkin (0-1) lost his first decision at the collegiate level despite tying his career-high with 2.2 innings of work for the third straight appearance. He was the first of five Husker hurlers to face Creighton.
Creighton's offense was held to four singles and a double but did just enough to beat Nebraska for the sixth time in the past seven meetings.
NOTES: The win was Creighton's 50th all-time against Nebraska according to available records ... Eleven members of the Creighton women's basketball team threw out the first pitch prior to the game. The Bluejays ended their 2021-22 season in the Elite Eight on Sunday ... Creighton's five errors were its most ever committed inside Charles Schwab Field Omaha and one shy of the park record set by Nebraska in 2019 against Michigan in a Big Ten Tournament game ... Jared Wegner reached base for the 12th straight game, but Andrew Meggs had his streak of reaching base snapped after 10 straight contests... Nolan Clifford extended his season-high six game hitting streak with a single in the second inning ... The game was televised statewide on Nebraska Public Media, the first of five scheduled television broadcasts this season ... Creighton improved to 131-1 all-time when leading after eight innings at Charles Schwab Field Omaha ... The win was 599th at Creighton for 19th-year coach Ed Servais. Nineteen of those wins have come against Nebraska ... Creighton is now 6-1 in games started by Dylan Tebrake this season.
Much more to come...
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Vetock, Malakai (1-0)
L: Jelkin, Jaxon (0-1)
S: Steier, Tommy (3)
Batting:
2B: Chick, Cam 1 ; Anglim, Garrett 1 ; Steil, Jack 1
RBI: Jackson, Core 1
SH: Jessen, Luke 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Anglim, Garrett 1 ; Steil, Jack 1
SB: Matthews, Brice 1
CS: Matthews, Brice 1 ; Jackson, Core 1
HBP: Anderson, Max 1
PO: Jackson, Core 1
Batting:
2B: Helligso, Hogan 1
RBI: Clifford, Nolan 1 ; Hess, Kyle 1
SF: Hess, Kyle 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sailors, Nolan 1 ; Grace, Jack 1 ; Helligso, Hogan 1
SB: Roden, Alan 1 ; Grace, Jack 1
CS: Roden, Alan 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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/ Baseball2013 Creighton Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee Dan Smith
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