Creighton University
30-24
#6 Providence
25-31
Potter’s Fifth-Inning Blast Lifts Softball Past PC and Into BIG EAST Title Game
5/10/2025 3:03:00 PM | Softball
VILLANOVA, Pa. – Deadlocked at 4-4 in the fifth, sophomore Sydney Potter launched a go-ahead solo home run to propel the fourth-seeded Creighton Softball team to a 5-4 win over sixth-seeded Providence on Saturday afternoon in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Tournament presented by JEEP.
Creighton (30-24) advances to the BIG EAST title game for the second consecutive season against second-seeded UConn at 4 p.m. Central in a game that will air on FS2. Creighton will need to take down the Huskies today, as well as tomororw morning, to advance to the program's 13th NCAA Tournament in history.
Creighton jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning. Senior Sydra Seville, Creighton's single season hits record holder, led off the game with a single to left, before advancing to third on a bunt single from sophomore Ashten Pierson. Lily West then drove in the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly to center, while a double down the left field line from Kaelan Schultz gave the Jays a 2-0 lead.
Providence countered with two runs in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of a pair of walks, a single from Elisa Smith and a Bluejay throwing error to knot things up at 2-2.
The Bluejays answered right back, regaining a two-run lead as Lynn Davis laced a leadoff single up the middle, stole second and came around to score on an RBI single into center from Seville. Seville advanced to third on a wild pitch, before West delivered an RBI single into right, pushing the Bluejays lead out to 4-2.
The Friars, however, would plate two runs on three hits in the bottom of the second to tie things back up at 4-4. A leadoff single from Hanna Aldrich got thing started while a double from Sofia Peterson put runners on second and third with no outs. Gabriella Sebastian the executed a perfect squeeze bunt to bring in Aldrich from third, before an RBI single up the middle from Gabriella Lee tied the game at 4-4.
The game would remain level at 4-4 through the fourth, before sophomore Sydney Potter blasted her team-leading 16th home run of the season to right to give Creighton a 5-4 advantage in the top of the fifth.
The Bluejays finished the contest with 10 combined hits, led by Seville with three and two more from Davis. With three hits day, Seville became one of seven players nationally with 80 or more hits this season. Junior Erika Perez finished with a Creighton single BIG EAST Tournament game record with three walks.
Junior Kenzie Schopfer picked up the victory in the circle, improving to 10-7 on the year after firing 5.2 scoreless innings.
Providence finished their season with a 25-31 record as Tori Grifone was the hard luck loser falling to 10-11 this season.
NOTES: Sydra Seville's three singles extended her single-season school-record to 80 hits this season and tied CU's single-game hits record for a BIG EAST Tournament game. She also extended her hit streak to 10, one shy of her season-best … Seville is one of seven players nationally with 80 or more hits this season … Seville scored twice. Her 46 runs are fourth-most in CU single-season history … Lily West had a pair of RBI, moving from ninth to sixth in CU single-season history with 44 … Lily West has reached base safely in 13 straight games … Sydney Potter's homer in the fifth inning was her 16th of the year (fifth-most in CU history and the most by a Bluejay since Liz Dike also had 16 in 2014. The homer also helped Potter become the first player in CU history with 60 RBI in a season … Creighton's five stolen bases were its most this season against a BIG EAST team and came after no stolen bases in any of its last eight BIG EAST Tournament games dating to a pair of thefts in 2018 … CU stole at least one base in each of the first four innings … Lynn Davis had her first hit since April 25th and her first multi-hit contest since Feb. 16th vs. Morehead State ... Avery Barnard's single in the fifth inning was her team-leading seventh pinch-hit of the season … Erika Perez's three walks today gives her 32 for the season and is now tied for sixth-most in a single season in program history. Her three walks are also a Creighton BIG EAST Tournament single-game record, while her six walks in the tournament are also a program record for one tournament …Creighton has won 25 of its last 34 conference tournament games decided by two runs or less and is 4-0 in such games at the BIG EAST Tournament … Creighton will play in the BIG EAST Tournament final for the third time in four trips to the event … Creighton has now won 30 or more games 25 times in program history, and won 30+ in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2009 & 2010 … Creighton is now 7-5 all-time in four BIG EAST Tournament appearances and 3-2 all-time at the BIG EAST Tournament in two trips as a No. 4 seed … Creighton is 1-0 all-time against Providence at the BIG EAST Tournament … Creighton improved to 16-8 when scoring in the first inning and 21-8 when scoring first … Krista Wood's six BIG EAST Tournament wins rank third-most among active BIG EAST coaches … Creighton improved to 3-0 all-time on May 10th at the BIG EAST Tournament … CU improved to 4-3 all-time in BIG EAST Tournament elimination games … CU improved to 400-58 over the last 25 years when scoring 5+ runs, including a 25-4 record this season.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Schopfer, Kenzie (10-7)
L: Grifone (10-11)
Batting:
2B: Schultz, Kaelan 1
HR: Potter, Sydney 1
RBI: Seville, Sydra 1 ; West, Lily 2 ; Schultz, Kaelan 1 ; Potter, Sydney 1
SF: West, Lily 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Seville, Sydra 2 ; Pierson, Ashten 1 ; Potter, Sydney 1 ; Davis, Lynn 1
SB: Seville, Sydra 1 ; Pierson, Ashten 1 ; Schultz, Kaelan 1 ; Poole, Hannah 1 ; Davis, Lynn 1
PO: Seville, Sydra 1
Batting:
2B: Peterson 2
RBI: Lee 1 ; Sebastian 1
SH: Eichten 1 ; Sebastian 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lee 1 ; Smith 1 ; Aldrich 1 ; Peterson 1
HBP: Aldrich 1
