Creighton University
25-18, 7-7
St. John's
24-19, 8-7
Softball Drops Twinbill at St. John's
4/30/2016 4:24:00 PM | Softball
Defending league champs sweep doubleheader by 8-6 and 4-1 scores
Creighton fell to fifth place in the BIG EAST standings with a 7-8 league mark, while St. John's surged to third place at 9-7 in league play with the doubleheader sweep. Both teams are 25-19 overall.
St. John's scored three times in the second inning of the opener to take the early lead, as the Red Storm had five walks and four infield singles through two innings.
Creighton's first baserunner of the contest didn't come until Michelle Trulin singled to lead off the fourth inning, but it sparked a six-run rally. A walk to Tash Coffiel put two on before an RBI single from Allie Reinhart. A wild pitch advanced both runners before Jen Daro reached on an error when the Red Storm first baseman dropped the ball while applying a tag, tying the game at 3-all. Daro would advance to second on a passed ball, moved to third on a Blake Ringle single, and scored on Sam Crowley's bunt single. It was the first hit and second RBI of Crowley's career.
Ringle and Crowley would then score on a two-out double from Aujanae McCoy to push CU's lead to 6-3.
St. John's got two runs back in the bottom of the fourth inning. Krystal Puga launched her seventh home run of the year with one out, and Hannah Anderson later singled to score Savannah Warren to make it a one-score game.
After Whitney spent the first four innings working around nine hits and seven walks, CU skipper Brent Vigness turned to Sydnee Eck to start the fifth inning. Brittany Garcia tripled home Monique Landini to tie the game three batters later.
St. John's had two out and no one on base before a sixth-inning rally that would lead to the game-winner. Kaitlyn Wilkens and Lauren Zick reached on consecutive infield singles before Yvonne Rericha doubled home both women with the decisive runs.
Trulin led off the Bluejay seventh inning with a double, but the next three women were retired by Red Storm ace Grace Kramer (13-11) to secure the complete game win.
Eck (13-9) was charged with the loss after allowing three runs in the final two innings, while CU's offense was paced by a pair of hits and one run from Trulin.
St. John's pounced on Creighton to start the nightcap, as Warren hit a three-run homer against Bluejay starter Michal Hylton (4-2).
The Red Storm added an insurance tally in the second inning on a throwing error while trying to cut down a runner on the basepaths.
Creighton's lone run in game two scored in the fourth inning, as Katie Pascuzzi singled to drive home Jen Daro.
CU managed just one baserunner in the final three frames as McKenzie Murray(5-4) closed out the victory for the Red Storm with 10 strikeouts on the afternoon.
Coffiel led CU with two hits in the second game of the day.
The series will wrap up on Sunday at 10 a.m. Central in a game that will air on ESPN3.com.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Grace Kramer (13-11)
L: Eck, Sydnee (13-9)
Batting:
2B: Trulin, Michelle 1 ; McCoy, Aujanae 1
RBI: Reinhart, Allie 1 ; Daro, Jen 1 ; Crowley, Sam 1 ; McCoy, Aujanae 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Trulin, Michelle 1 ; Coffiel, Tash 1 ; McGonigal, Erin 1 ; Daro, Jen 1 ; Ringle, Blake 1 ; Crowley, Sam 1
Batting:
2B: Yvonne Rericha 1
3B: Brittany Garcia 1
HR: Krystal Puga 1
RBI: Yvonne Rericha 2 ; Monique Landini 1 ; Brittany Garcia 2 ; Krystal Puga 2 ; Hannah Anderson 1
SH: Monique Landini 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Yvonne Rericha 1 ; Monique Landini 1 ; Krystal Puga 1 ; Savannah Warren 1 ; Hannah Anderson 1 ; Kaitlyn Wilkens 1 ; Lauren Zick 2
SB: Yvonne Rericha 1 ; Monique Landini 1 ; Krystal Puga 1 ; Hannah Anderson 1 ; Lauren Zick 1
CS: Hannah Anderson 1
