Friday, February 20
Arlington, Texas
12:30 PM
Creighton University
4-7
4
vs
0
South Dakota
2-10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
South Dakota
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
2
Creighton
0
3
0
0
1
0
X
4
7
1
Photo by: Justin Kreutzian
Wood Earns 600th Victory as Softball Sweeps Pair of Contests at Boerner Invitational
2/20/2026 10:07:00 PM | Softball
ARLINGTON, Texas – Head coach Krista Wood won her 600th career game as the Creighton softball team defeated South Dakota, 4-0, and rolled past UT Arlington, 11-4, on the opening day of the Boerner Invitational in Arlington, Texas.
The Bluejays improved to 5-7 on the year with the two wins, while the Coyotes fell to 2-10 and the Mavericks dropped to 4-7 with the losses.
Game 1: Creighton 4, South Dakota 0
Junior pitcher Brooklyn Patchen was sharp in Friday's opener, tossing a four-hit shutout while recording a career-high tying eight strikeouts as the Bluejays took down South Dakota 4-0.
Creighton placed the first dent on the scoreboard in the second, scoring three runs on four hits to take a 3-0 lead. Sophomore Tara Vandewater opened the frame with a leadoff single and stole second, before coming around to score on a single from Avery Barnard. Senior Ella Dalton followed it up with an RBI single of her own, before sliding into home on a single up the middle from fellow classmate Lily West to give the Jays a 3-0 advantage.
The Bluejays would tack on an insurance run in the fifth when pinch runner Chiqui Vazquez stole home to push the Creighton lead to 4-0.
Patchen would then seal the victory with two additional scoreless frames to collect her second win of the season. Dalton led the way offensively with a pair of hits, while Barnard went 1-for-1 with two walks and a run scored in the victory.
Game 2: Creighton 11, UT Arlington 4
Creighton's bats came alive in the second game of the day, as the Bluejays racked up a season-high 12 hits in an 11-4 win over UT Arlington.
The Bluejays scored in each of the first two innings to claim an early 5-3 lead. An infield single from freshman Zoey Greenwood, quickly turned into an 1-0 lead when she scored on Keegan Mayhue's RBI single through the right side. Senior Erika Perez would then make to 2-0, as she drove in Kaelan Schultz with an RBI fielder's choice.
The Mavericks would answer with a two-run single from Valeria Feeney in the bottom half of the first to level the contest at 2-2.
The game didn't stay tied for long as Creighton took advantage of two UTA errors and an RBI single from Greenwood to regain a 5-2 lead, before a sacrifice fly from Peyton Holland in the home half of the frame cut the deficit to 5-3.
Creighton would then seize control in the sixth, plating five runs on four hits to open up a 10-3 advantage. Schultz and Mayhue got the Jays started with an infield single and walk to put runners on first and second with one away. Perez followed with an RBI single before Vandewater delivered a two-run triple down the right field line to give the Jays an 8-3 lead. Vandewater would score two pitches later as freshman Karina Trevino recorded the first RBI of her collegiate career as she reached on a fielder's choice. Junior Ashten Pierson reentered the contest and immediately showcased her speed, scoring from first on an RBI single from Barnard to extend the Jays lead to 10-3.
CU would tack on one more insurance run in the seventh when Perez drove in her career-high tying fifth run of the game on the first triple of her collegiate career, before UTA cut the deficit to 11-4 in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI groundout from Baleria Feeney.
Freshman Audrey Gilman earned her third victory of the season, allowing three unearned runs on six hits with four strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work. Greenwood and Schultz each collected their first three-hit game of the season, while Perez drove in a career-high tying five runs on a pair of hits.
Creighton returns to Allen Saxe Field for day two of the Boerner Invitational on Saturday morning for a doubleheader against former Missouri Valley Conference rival Wichita State. The first game between the Bluejays and Shockers is set for 10 a.m.
The Bluejays improved to 5-7 on the year with the two wins, while the Coyotes fell to 2-10 and the Mavericks dropped to 4-7 with the losses.
Game 1: Creighton 4, South Dakota 0
Junior pitcher Brooklyn Patchen was sharp in Friday's opener, tossing a four-hit shutout while recording a career-high tying eight strikeouts as the Bluejays took down South Dakota 4-0.
Creighton placed the first dent on the scoreboard in the second, scoring three runs on four hits to take a 3-0 lead. Sophomore Tara Vandewater opened the frame with a leadoff single and stole second, before coming around to score on a single from Avery Barnard. Senior Ella Dalton followed it up with an RBI single of her own, before sliding into home on a single up the middle from fellow classmate Lily West to give the Jays a 3-0 advantage.
The Bluejays would tack on an insurance run in the fifth when pinch runner Chiqui Vazquez stole home to push the Creighton lead to 4-0.
Patchen would then seal the victory with two additional scoreless frames to collect her second win of the season. Dalton led the way offensively with a pair of hits, while Barnard went 1-for-1 with two walks and a run scored in the victory.
Game 2: Creighton 11, UT Arlington 4
Creighton's bats came alive in the second game of the day, as the Bluejays racked up a season-high 12 hits in an 11-4 win over UT Arlington.
The Bluejays scored in each of the first two innings to claim an early 5-3 lead. An infield single from freshman Zoey Greenwood, quickly turned into an 1-0 lead when she scored on Keegan Mayhue's RBI single through the right side. Senior Erika Perez would then make to 2-0, as she drove in Kaelan Schultz with an RBI fielder's choice.
The Mavericks would answer with a two-run single from Valeria Feeney in the bottom half of the first to level the contest at 2-2.
The game didn't stay tied for long as Creighton took advantage of two UTA errors and an RBI single from Greenwood to regain a 5-2 lead, before a sacrifice fly from Peyton Holland in the home half of the frame cut the deficit to 5-3.
Creighton would then seize control in the sixth, plating five runs on four hits to open up a 10-3 advantage. Schultz and Mayhue got the Jays started with an infield single and walk to put runners on first and second with one away. Perez followed with an RBI single before Vandewater delivered a two-run triple down the right field line to give the Jays an 8-3 lead. Vandewater would score two pitches later as freshman Karina Trevino recorded the first RBI of her collegiate career as she reached on a fielder's choice. Junior Ashten Pierson reentered the contest and immediately showcased her speed, scoring from first on an RBI single from Barnard to extend the Jays lead to 10-3.
CU would tack on one more insurance run in the seventh when Perez drove in her career-high tying fifth run of the game on the first triple of her collegiate career, before UTA cut the deficit to 11-4 in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI groundout from Baleria Feeney.
Freshman Audrey Gilman earned her third victory of the season, allowing three unearned runs on six hits with four strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work. Greenwood and Schultz each collected their first three-hit game of the season, while Perez drove in a career-high tying five runs on a pair of hits.
Creighton returns to Allen Saxe Field for day two of the Boerner Invitational on Saturday morning for a doubleheader against former Missouri Valley Conference rival Wichita State. The first game between the Bluejays and Shockers is set for 10 a.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Patchen, Brooklyn (2-2)
L: Paulsen (0-4)
Batting:
2B: White 1 ; Iburg 1
Base Running:
SB: K. Johnson 1
Batting:
RBI: Dalton, Ella 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Vazquez, Chiqui 1 ; Vandewater, Tara 1 ; Barnard, Avery 1 ; Dalton, Ella 1
SB: Greenwood, Zoey 1 ; Vazquez, Chiqui 2 ; Bailey, Emma 1 ; Vandewater, Tara 1 ; Barnard, Avery 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
C/UTL
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
Creighton Softball Highlights vs. UT Arlington, 2/20/26
Saturday, February 21
Creighton Softball Highlights vs. #17 Arizona, 2/15/26
Sunday, February 15
Creighton Softball Highlights vs. Utah Valley, 2/14/26
Sunday, February 15
Creighton Softball Highlights vs Drake 2/14/26
Saturday, February 14
