Saturday, May 9
Rosemont, Ill.
1:00 P.M.
Creighton University
32-26
5
vs
2
#2 UConn
30-26
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creighton | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 0 |
| UConn | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
Lily West
Photo by: Patrick Davis
Softball Forces "If Necessary" Title Game With 5-2 Win Over UConn
5/9/2026 3:20:00 PM | Softball
Lily West breaks hits record
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Lily West broke Creighton's all-time hits record as Creighton Softball defeated Connecticut 5-2 on Saturday at the BIG EAST Tournament Presented by JEEP. CU's win forces an "if necessary" game rematch against UConn, with the winner earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. That game will start at approximately 4 p.m. and be broadcast on ESPN+.
Creighton (32-26) scored in the first inning for its fourth straight BIG EAST Tournament game, as Kaelan Schultz walked on four pitches and scored on a one-out RBI double by West to give the Jays a lead it would never surrender.
The Jays doubled their lead with some two-out hitting in the third inning, as Erika Perez's RBI singled drove home Zoey Greenwood, who had doubled to start the rally. UConn halved the deficit in the bottom of the third inning as a sacrifice fly from Kai Breslin brought home Savannah Ring.
CU moved its advantage to 3-1 in the fifth inning. BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Keegan Mayhue hit a leadoff double and would come around to score on a sacrifice fly by Perez.
The Huskies put two on to start the sixth inning, but Landrie Harris worked out of a jam as she induced a lazy fly ball to short before back-to-back groundouts.
Creighton tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning. West lined up a single up the middle for her record-breaking 246th career hit, erasing a record previously held by Creighton Athletics Hall of Famer Christy Lunceford that had stood since 1997. Mayhue then ripped a ball to the base of the wall in right for her first triple of the season, and first Creighton triple ever in a BIG EAST Tournament game, plating West. Mayhue would score one pitch later on a Greenwood single.
Connecticut put up a late scare, loading the bases with three straight singles to start the seventh inning. UConn got one back on a sacrifice fly for the first out but Harris did the rest to preserve the victory.
Harris was brilliant in her fifth start of the season, throwing her second complete game. The sophomore from Flower Mound, Texas allowed just six hits and four walks while striking out two and improving to 7-6 on the season. West, Mayhue, Greenwood and Perez all had two hits, with Perez driving home a pair.
Caprice Bohmer (13-9) picked up the loss for Connecticut. She threw the first five innings and allowed six hits, four walks and three runs. Sydnee Koosh allowed the final two runs in two innings of relief. Connecticut, which had opened the league tournament 2-0 after a 9-3 win over Creighton and a 12-1 victory vs. Butler, fell to 30-26 while seeking its second straight BIG EAST Tournament title.
NOTES: Lily West doubled in the first inning to extend her on-base streak to a career-high 21 straight games ... Creighton was playing in the BIG EAST Tournament Finals for the third straight year and for the fourth time in five all-time trips to the event … Creighton (BIG EAST), Omaha (Summit League) and Nebraska (Big Ten), the three Division I teams in Nebraska, will all play for their conference titles on Saturday afternoon … Creighton was outscored 66-33 in the first inning during the regular-season, but has outscored its opponents 7-1 in the opening frame in the BIG EAST Tournament ...  Kaelan Schultz walked three times and has now reached base in 13 straight games, though her 12 game hitting streak was snapped ... Ashten Pierson legged out a bunt single in the second inning for her 100th career hit ... Creighton increased its single-season school-record totals to 362 runs, 333 RBI and 99 doubles … Zoey Greenwood had a pair of hits and is now one behind Wendy Moon's freshman record of 64 hits from 1991 ... Creighton improved to 10-7 in the BIG EAST Tournament, which includes a 9-5 mark under head coach Krista Wood ... Creighton is now 6-2 all-time in BIG EAST Tournament play when scoring in the first inning ... The Jays are now 15-5 this year when scoring in the first inning and 20-6 when scoring before their opponent ... Creighton is trying to become the first team to win the title after going through the loser's bracket since Villanova in 2021.
Creighton (32-26) scored in the first inning for its fourth straight BIG EAST Tournament game, as Kaelan Schultz walked on four pitches and scored on a one-out RBI double by West to give the Jays a lead it would never surrender.
The Jays doubled their lead with some two-out hitting in the third inning, as Erika Perez's RBI singled drove home Zoey Greenwood, who had doubled to start the rally. UConn halved the deficit in the bottom of the third inning as a sacrifice fly from Kai Breslin brought home Savannah Ring.
CU moved its advantage to 3-1 in the fifth inning. BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Keegan Mayhue hit a leadoff double and would come around to score on a sacrifice fly by Perez.
The Huskies put two on to start the sixth inning, but Landrie Harris worked out of a jam as she induced a lazy fly ball to short before back-to-back groundouts.
Creighton tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning. West lined up a single up the middle for her record-breaking 246th career hit, erasing a record previously held by Creighton Athletics Hall of Famer Christy Lunceford that had stood since 1997. Mayhue then ripped a ball to the base of the wall in right for her first triple of the season, and first Creighton triple ever in a BIG EAST Tournament game, plating West. Mayhue would score one pitch later on a Greenwood single.
Connecticut put up a late scare, loading the bases with three straight singles to start the seventh inning. UConn got one back on a sacrifice fly for the first out but Harris did the rest to preserve the victory.
Harris was brilliant in her fifth start of the season, throwing her second complete game. The sophomore from Flower Mound, Texas allowed just six hits and four walks while striking out two and improving to 7-6 on the season. West, Mayhue, Greenwood and Perez all had two hits, with Perez driving home a pair.
Caprice Bohmer (13-9) picked up the loss for Connecticut. She threw the first five innings and allowed six hits, four walks and three runs. Sydnee Koosh allowed the final two runs in two innings of relief. Connecticut, which had opened the league tournament 2-0 after a 9-3 win over Creighton and a 12-1 victory vs. Butler, fell to 30-26 while seeking its second straight BIG EAST Tournament title.
NOTES: Lily West doubled in the first inning to extend her on-base streak to a career-high 21 straight games ... Creighton was playing in the BIG EAST Tournament Finals for the third straight year and for the fourth time in five all-time trips to the event … Creighton (BIG EAST), Omaha (Summit League) and Nebraska (Big Ten), the three Division I teams in Nebraska, will all play for their conference titles on Saturday afternoon … Creighton was outscored 66-33 in the first inning during the regular-season, but has outscored its opponents 7-1 in the opening frame in the BIG EAST Tournament ...  Kaelan Schultz walked three times and has now reached base in 13 straight games, though her 12 game hitting streak was snapped ... Ashten Pierson legged out a bunt single in the second inning for her 100th career hit ... Creighton increased its single-season school-record totals to 362 runs, 333 RBI and 99 doubles … Zoey Greenwood had a pair of hits and is now one behind Wendy Moon's freshman record of 64 hits from 1991 ... Creighton improved to 10-7 in the BIG EAST Tournament, which includes a 9-5 mark under head coach Krista Wood ... Creighton is now 6-2 all-time in BIG EAST Tournament play when scoring in the first inning ... The Jays are now 15-5 this year when scoring in the first inning and 20-6 when scoring before their opponent ... Creighton is trying to become the first team to win the title after going through the loser's bracket since Villanova in 2021.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Harris, Landrie (7-6)
L: Bohmer, Caprice (13-9)
Batting:
2B: West, Lily 1 ; Mayhue, Keegan 1 ; Greenwood, Zoey 1
3B: Mayhue, Keegan 1
RBI: West, Lily 1 ; Mayhue, Keegan 1 ; Greenwood, Zoey 1 ; Perez, Erika 2
SF: Perez, Erika 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Schultz, Kaelan 1 ; West, Lily 1 ; Mayhue, Keegan 1 ; McCutcheon, Meghan 1 ; Greenwood, Zoey 1
SB: Barnard, Avery 1
Batting:
RBI: Breslin, Kaitlyn 2
SF: Breslin, Kaitlyn 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Ring, Savannah 1 ; Barber, Heidi 1
HBP: Willers, Emma 1
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
C
/ SoftballCreighton Softball Highlights vs. UConn BIG EAST Tournament Finals Game 1, 5/9/26 mp4
Saturday, May 09
Creighton Softball BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals Highlights vs. Butler, 5/8/26
Friday, May 08
Creighton Softball BIG EAST Tournament Highlights vs. UConn, 5/7/26
Friday, May 08
Creighton Softball Highlights vs. DePaul, 5/3/26
Sunday, May 03
