Creighton University
Coastal Carolina
Creighton Baseball Loses in Pitchers' Duel, 1-0 to No. 14 Coastal Carolina
3/10/2009 7:45:00 PM | Baseball
CONWAY, S.C. - The Creighton baseball team lost its second heartbreaker in three days to No. 14 Coastal Carolina, falling 1-0.
The lone run of the game came in the bottom of the eighth as Chanticleer second baseman Tyler Bortnick singled to center, brining home Rico Noel, for the 1-0 lead.
The game was a pitchers' duel, as the two teams traded zeroes for the first seven and a half innings. Creighton starter Jonas Dufek got out of a possible jam in the fourth when Chanticleer left fielder Chance Gilmore was caught in a run down by the Bluejay infield, while trying to steal third. Dufek threw to second baseman Vicente Cafaro who then tossed it to third baseman Jimmy Swift to tag out Gilmore.
Dufek threw a career-high 7.1 innings. He allowed the one run on four hits, while striking out four and walking two. It was the longest outing by a Bluejay since Jeremy Hauer lasted 7.2 innings against Southern Illinois on May 3, 2008.
The Bluejays got their first scoring threat in the sixth inning as runners were on second and third with just one out, courtesy of a Coastal Carolina error. After a Darin Ruf strikeout, Cafaro walked to load the bases with two outs. T.J. Roemmich then popped up in foul territory to the catcher Jose Iglesias, ending the Creighton rally.
CU put another scoring opportunity together in the seventh as runners were on first and second with one out. However the Chanticleers were able to extinguish the threat as Jimmy Swift struck out swinging, and Robbie Knight was thrown out at first on a bang-bang play.
The Jays will finish off their roadtrip Wednesday afternoon against UNC-Wilmington at 4:00 p.m., before heading home for its first home game of the year on Friday, March 13 at the CU Sports Complex against South Dakota State. First pitch in that contest is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
NOTES: Cafaro's single in the second extended his hitting streak to a team-high seven games...A week after the March 3 game against Kansas State saw the first three innings played in 33 minutes, Tuesday's game saw the first three innings go by in 35 minutes...Coastal Carolina was not used to being in a pitchers' duel as it was coming off a 36-3 shellacking of Stony Brook on Sunday...Creighton had not been shut out since June 3, 2007 in the NCAA Regional against Arkansas...It is the first 1-0 loss for the Bluejays since May 26, 2006 against Bradley
