Friday, February 28
Santa Barbara, Calif.
1:45 P.M.
Creighton University
4
vs
7
UNLV
Photo by: Lara Zuk
Patchen’s Complete Game Shutout Leads Bluejay Softball to Opening Day Split at UC Santa Barbara Tournament
2/28/2025 7:17:00 PM | Softball
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Creighton softball team used a complete game shutout from sophomore Brooklyn Patchen to salvage a doubleheader spilt on the opening day of the UC Santa Barbara Tournament on Friday afternoon.
The Bluejays dropped the opener to UNLV, 7-4, before bouncing back with a 1-0 shutout over host UC Santa Barbara.
With Friday's results, Creighton moved to 8-4 on the season, while UNLV improved to 10-6 and UC Santa Barbara fell to 10-9 overall.
GAME 1: UNLV 7, Creighton 4
Creighton had their four-game winning streak come to an end in their first game of the day as UNLV rallied late to defeat the Bluejays, 7-4, in the opener of the UC Santa Barbara Tournament.
The Bluejays struck first with two runs in the top of the second innings. Redshirt freshman Kenzie Nakasawa and junior Erika Perez each reached on UNLV fielding errors before sophomore Lynn Davis ripped a two-run double into the left center field gap to give Creighton an early 2-0 lead.
UNLV responded with a run of their own in the bottom half of the second to cut the deficit to one. Destinee Noury opened the frame with a walk before coming around to score on back-to-back singles from Diamond Sefe and Bri Hamilton to make the score 2-1.
Creighton quickly added a run and took a 3-1 lead in the top half of the third on an RBI single from junior Lily West, before UNLV plated three runs on two hits, a Bluejay error and a wild pitch to take a 4-3 lead into the fourth inning.
The Bluejays immediately responded when Perez launched her team-leading third home run of the season over the right center field wall to knot the contest at 4-4.
UNLV, however, countered with a run in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Jesse Farrell to retake a 5-4 lead. The Rebels would then add to their lead in the bottom of the sixth when Ariana Martinez connected on a two-run home run to secure the 7-4 victory for UNLV.
UNLV's Amelia Weber (4-2) collected the win, striking out eight while allowing four runs (two earned) on five hits. Creighton starter Kenzie Schopfer took the loss (0-1), allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits in 5.2 innings, while sophomore Ashten Pierson paced the offense with a pair of hits.
GAME 2: Creighton 1, UC Santa Barbara 0
The Bluejays bounced back nicely as Patchen delivering a two-hit complete game shutout in a 1-0 win over UC Santa Barbara in their second game of the day.
After three scoreless frames by both teams, Creighton broke through with the only run of the game in the top half of the fourth inning. Back-to-back singles to open the frame from sophomore Sydney Potter and Perez set the stage for an RBI single up the middle from junior Ella Dalton to give the Bluejays a 1-0 lead.
The Bluejays defense took over from there turning a pair of inning-ending double play, as Patchen limited the Gauchos to just three base runners in the final four innings to secure her fourth victory of the season.
Seville and Perez led Creighton's offensive with two hits apiece, while Dalton drove in the lone run of the contest. In total the Bluejays collected seven hits in the win.
Creighton continues play at the UC Santa Barbara Tournament on Saturday when they take on Saint Mary's at 11 a.m., followed by a rematch with UNLV at 1:45 p.m. Central.
The Bluejays dropped the opener to UNLV, 7-4, before bouncing back with a 1-0 shutout over host UC Santa Barbara.
With Friday's results, Creighton moved to 8-4 on the season, while UNLV improved to 10-6 and UC Santa Barbara fell to 10-9 overall.
GAME 1: UNLV 7, Creighton 4
Creighton had their four-game winning streak come to an end in their first game of the day as UNLV rallied late to defeat the Bluejays, 7-4, in the opener of the UC Santa Barbara Tournament.
The Bluejays struck first with two runs in the top of the second innings. Redshirt freshman Kenzie Nakasawa and junior Erika Perez each reached on UNLV fielding errors before sophomore Lynn Davis ripped a two-run double into the left center field gap to give Creighton an early 2-0 lead.
UNLV responded with a run of their own in the bottom half of the second to cut the deficit to one. Destinee Noury opened the frame with a walk before coming around to score on back-to-back singles from Diamond Sefe and Bri Hamilton to make the score 2-1.
Creighton quickly added a run and took a 3-1 lead in the top half of the third on an RBI single from junior Lily West, before UNLV plated three runs on two hits, a Bluejay error and a wild pitch to take a 4-3 lead into the fourth inning.
The Bluejays immediately responded when Perez launched her team-leading third home run of the season over the right center field wall to knot the contest at 4-4.
UNLV, however, countered with a run in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Jesse Farrell to retake a 5-4 lead. The Rebels would then add to their lead in the bottom of the sixth when Ariana Martinez connected on a two-run home run to secure the 7-4 victory for UNLV.
UNLV's Amelia Weber (4-2) collected the win, striking out eight while allowing four runs (two earned) on five hits. Creighton starter Kenzie Schopfer took the loss (0-1), allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits in 5.2 innings, while sophomore Ashten Pierson paced the offense with a pair of hits.
GAME 2: Creighton 1, UC Santa Barbara 0
The Bluejays bounced back nicely as Patchen delivering a two-hit complete game shutout in a 1-0 win over UC Santa Barbara in their second game of the day.
After three scoreless frames by both teams, Creighton broke through with the only run of the game in the top half of the fourth inning. Back-to-back singles to open the frame from sophomore Sydney Potter and Perez set the stage for an RBI single up the middle from junior Ella Dalton to give the Bluejays a 1-0 lead.
The Bluejays defense took over from there turning a pair of inning-ending double play, as Patchen limited the Gauchos to just three base runners in the final four innings to secure her fourth victory of the season.
Seville and Perez led Creighton's offensive with two hits apiece, while Dalton drove in the lone run of the contest. In total the Bluejays collected seven hits in the win.
Creighton continues play at the UC Santa Barbara Tournament on Saturday when they take on Saint Mary's at 11 a.m., followed by a rematch with UNLV at 1:45 p.m. Central.
Players Mentioned
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