Thursday, February 9
Tempe, Ariz.
4:00 PM
Creighton University
0-1
3
vs
7
San Jose State
1-0
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2
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4
5
6
7
R
H
E
San Jose State
2
2
0
2
1
0
0
7
6
0
Creighton
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
3
5
1
Photo by: Jason Wise Photography
Softball Drops First Two Games of Season at Kajikawa Classic
2/9/2017 9:30:00 PM | Softball
The Bluejays fell 7-3 against San Jose State and 8-0 to No. 9 Oregon
TEMPE, Ariz. – The Creighton softball team dropped a pair of games during the opening day of the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. on Thursday.
The Bluejays fell 7-3 against San Jose State, and 8-0 in six innings at the hands of No. 9 Oregon.
In the first game of the day, the Spartans started the scoring with a two-run home run in the top of the first from Madison Aurin.
Creighton responded with two runs of its own in the bottom of the first frame. The first two Jays reached base before Mileah McKelvy drove in Ashley Cantu on a single to left field for the first run of the 2017 season. Anna O'Gorman added to the Bluejays' tally with a sacrifice fly to right to drive in Tash Coffiel who reached on a single earlier in the inning.
San Jose State regained the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the second, but the Bluejays cut into the deficit with a single run, 4-3, in the bottom half. The Spartans scored on an RBI double and wild pitch, while Tash Coffiel picked up her second hit of the contest and drove in Sam Crowley from second.
San Jose State starting pitcher Katelyn Linford settled in following a shaky start, sitting down 10 consecutive Bluejay hitters before surrendering a leadoff double in the 6th. Linford tossed a complete game and recorded 10 strikeouts while picking up her first win of the season and second victory over Creighton during her career.
Linford also picked up a win against the Bluejays during the season-opener of the 2014 season (Feb. 6, 2014).
San Jose State added two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to extend the final margin to four.
Michal Hylton earned the start for Creighton and gave up six runs on three hits, walked three and struck out one. Hylton became the first left-handed pitcher to start the Bluejays' lid-lifter since Stephanie Cortese started the 2006 season-opener against Eastern Illinois.
Sam Dellinger recorded her first collegiate hit with a double in the sixth inning, and Ashley Cantu scored the first run in her college career and walked twice, as each of the freshman started for Creighton.
Bryana Clark also made her first appearance in the circle in a Bluejay uniform, going four innings and striking out three batter while allowing three hits and one run.
Coffiel led Creighton going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
In the nightcap, Oregon's pitching controlled the Bluejays, as the Ducks defeated Creighton 8-0 in six innings.
Megan Kleist, the 2016 Co-Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, tallied eight strikeouts in five innings of work and allowed only one hit.
Creighton put pressure on the sophomore starter with two runners on and only one out in the fifth, but Kleist recorded a strikeout and induced a groundout to end the inning.
Reliever Maggie Balint continued to shut down Bluejay hitters, striking out the side in the 6th.
Creighton ended the game with a total of only four base runners.
After both the Bluejays and Ducks went quietly in the first inning, Oregon scored with back-to-back hits to open its half of the second. A lead-off double and RBI-single plated the first run of the ball game.
The Ducks added three more in the second to take a four-run advantage, and expanded the lead to six with a two-out two-run home run by Danica Mercado in the home half of the third.
Mia Camuso ended the game with a two-RBI single in sixth inning to give the Ducks the run-rule victory.
Jenny Hittinger, a transfer from Butler (Kan.) Community College started the game in the circle for Creighton and went two innings before giving way to Hylton for the final three-plus frames.
After pounding out four hits in the first two innings against San Jose State on Thursday, the Bluejays had only one hit in their final 11 innings of play.
Creighton will return to the Tempe Sports Complex for two games on Friday. The Bluejays will play Saint Mary's (Calif.) at 10:30 a.m. (CT) and Stanford at 4 p.m. (CT).
The Bluejays fell 7-3 against San Jose State, and 8-0 in six innings at the hands of No. 9 Oregon.
In the first game of the day, the Spartans started the scoring with a two-run home run in the top of the first from Madison Aurin.
Creighton responded with two runs of its own in the bottom of the first frame. The first two Jays reached base before Mileah McKelvy drove in Ashley Cantu on a single to left field for the first run of the 2017 season. Anna O'Gorman added to the Bluejays' tally with a sacrifice fly to right to drive in Tash Coffiel who reached on a single earlier in the inning.
San Jose State regained the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the second, but the Bluejays cut into the deficit with a single run, 4-3, in the bottom half. The Spartans scored on an RBI double and wild pitch, while Tash Coffiel picked up her second hit of the contest and drove in Sam Crowley from second.
San Jose State starting pitcher Katelyn Linford settled in following a shaky start, sitting down 10 consecutive Bluejay hitters before surrendering a leadoff double in the 6th. Linford tossed a complete game and recorded 10 strikeouts while picking up her first win of the season and second victory over Creighton during her career.
Linford also picked up a win against the Bluejays during the season-opener of the 2014 season (Feb. 6, 2014).
San Jose State added two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to extend the final margin to four.
Michal Hylton earned the start for Creighton and gave up six runs on three hits, walked three and struck out one. Hylton became the first left-handed pitcher to start the Bluejays' lid-lifter since Stephanie Cortese started the 2006 season-opener against Eastern Illinois.
Sam Dellinger recorded her first collegiate hit with a double in the sixth inning, and Ashley Cantu scored the first run in her college career and walked twice, as each of the freshman started for Creighton.
Bryana Clark also made her first appearance in the circle in a Bluejay uniform, going four innings and striking out three batter while allowing three hits and one run.
Coffiel led Creighton going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
In the nightcap, Oregon's pitching controlled the Bluejays, as the Ducks defeated Creighton 8-0 in six innings.
Megan Kleist, the 2016 Co-Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, tallied eight strikeouts in five innings of work and allowed only one hit.
Creighton put pressure on the sophomore starter with two runners on and only one out in the fifth, but Kleist recorded a strikeout and induced a groundout to end the inning.
Reliever Maggie Balint continued to shut down Bluejay hitters, striking out the side in the 6th.
Creighton ended the game with a total of only four base runners.
After both the Bluejays and Ducks went quietly in the first inning, Oregon scored with back-to-back hits to open its half of the second. A lead-off double and RBI-single plated the first run of the ball game.
The Ducks added three more in the second to take a four-run advantage, and expanded the lead to six with a two-out two-run home run by Danica Mercado in the home half of the third.
Mia Camuso ended the game with a two-RBI single in sixth inning to give the Ducks the run-rule victory.
Jenny Hittinger, a transfer from Butler (Kan.) Community College started the game in the circle for Creighton and went two innings before giving way to Hylton for the final three-plus frames.
After pounding out four hits in the first two innings against San Jose State on Thursday, the Bluejays had only one hit in their final 11 innings of play.
Creighton will return to the Tempe Sports Complex for two games on Friday. The Bluejays will play Saint Mary's (Calif.) at 10:30 a.m. (CT) and Stanford at 4 p.m. (CT).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: LINFORD (1-0)
L: Hylton, Michal (0-1)
Batting:
2B: JENNER 1
HR: AURIN 1 ; LUNA 1
RBI: WATT 2 ; AURIN 2 ; LUNA 1 ; JENNER 1
Base Running:
RUNS: ABACHERLI 1 ; AURIN 1 ; LUNA 1 ; CLARK 1 ; ENTZMINGER 1 ; ENGLESTAD 1 ; JENNER 1
HBP: ABACHERLI 1 ; LUNA 1 ; CLARK 1 ; ENGLESTAD 1
Batting:
2B: Dellinger, Sam 1
RBI: Coffiel, Tash 1 ; McKelvy, Mileah 1 ; O'Gorman, Anna 1
SF: O'Gorman, Anna 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cantu, Ashley 1 ; Coffiel, Tash 1 ; Crowley, Sam 1
HBP: Daro, Jen 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballUT
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballUT
/ Softball
UT
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