Tuesday, April 11
Omaha, Neb.
6:30 pm
Creighton University
11-16
6
vs
5
South Dakota State
14-14
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
R
H
E
South Dakota State
0
0
1
0
2
1
0
0
1
0
0
5
14
1
Creighton
0
0
1
2
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
6
17
1
Bryce Only
Photo by: Steve Branscombe
Late Rally Lifts Baseball Over South Dakota State, 6-5
4/11/2017 10:45:00 PM | Baseball
Bluejays win in 11 innings over SDSU for second straight year.
OMAHA, Neb . -- Bryce Only delivered a career-high four hits, including a walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning, as Creighton Baseball picked up a 6-5 victory over visiting South Dakota State on Tuesday, April 11 at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
The score and extra innings were a replica of Creighton's (11-16) walk-off win over the Jackrabbits on April 13, 2016, also at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. It was Creighton's first extra inning victory of the season in six tries.
The comeback victory by CU was made possible after the Bluejays became the first team in 20 innings this year to score against South Dakota State (14-14) star closer Chris Halbur, using a two-out rally in the ninth frame to even the score. With two out and no one on, senior Riley Landuyt singled to left and pinch runner Ben Reznicek advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Reznicek then scored on a double to right by freshman Will Robertson to knot the score at 5-5.
Creighton's victorious rally started with sophomore Thomas Luevano's single to open the 11th inning. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Nicholas Ortega. Robertson would be intentionally walked by Brett Mogen before Only ripped a line drive up the middle to plate Luevano with the winning run in CU's first walkoff victory of the season.
The rally made a winning pitcher out of Ryan Tapani (2-1), who threw two hitless and scoreless innings as the last of nine Bluejay hurlers to pitch in the contest. Tapani struck out four and allowed just one baserunner in his longest scoreless outing as a Bluejay.
The game was scoreless until the third inning, when SDSU went ahead 1-0 to chase Austin Stroschein before the Bluejays tied it on a wild pitch from Jackrabbit starter Hunter Even. CU went ahead 3-1 in the fourth frame when Only doubled and scored on a foul out, while Clark Brinkman doubled to score Parker Upton with two outs to end Even's night.
SDSU tied the contest with two runs in the top of the fifth inning, then took a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning on Matt Johnson's double to plate Philip Jacobson.
After CU tied the game in the eighth inning on Michael Emodi's RBI single to bring home Parker Upton, the Jackrabbits regained the lead in the top of the ninth with three straight hits against Bluejay closer David Gerber, with the RBI going to Kolton Michalski after his first hit of the season. That set the stage for CU's dramatics in the bottom of the ninth frame against Halbur.
Creighton returns to the diamond on Thursday with a 2:00 pm Central game at Georgetown to resume BIG EAST play.
NOTES: South Dakota State's 16 men left on base tied a TD Ameritrade Park Omaha record first set by North Carolina vs. Vanderbilt in the 2011 College World Series ... The 15 combined pitchers in the game also tied a park record, done three times previously ... Creighton's three-game win streak matches a season-high ... Creighton improved to 9-5 at home this season and has now won the last eight meetings in the series against SDSU ... Blake Whitecotton made his second start of the season for the Bluejays, catching the first four innings before being lifted for pinch-hitter Michael Emodi ... Ryan Tapani's four strikeouts were his high as a Bluejay ... Clark Brinkman had two doubles and now owns three two-baggers in his last three games ... Creighton has won all seven games against South Dakota State since 2005 that have been decided by exactly one run.
The score and extra innings were a replica of Creighton's (11-16) walk-off win over the Jackrabbits on April 13, 2016, also at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. It was Creighton's first extra inning victory of the season in six tries.
The comeback victory by CU was made possible after the Bluejays became the first team in 20 innings this year to score against South Dakota State (14-14) star closer Chris Halbur, using a two-out rally in the ninth frame to even the score. With two out and no one on, senior Riley Landuyt singled to left and pinch runner Ben Reznicek advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Reznicek then scored on a double to right by freshman Will Robertson to knot the score at 5-5.
Creighton's victorious rally started with sophomore Thomas Luevano's single to open the 11th inning. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Nicholas Ortega. Robertson would be intentionally walked by Brett Mogen before Only ripped a line drive up the middle to plate Luevano with the winning run in CU's first walkoff victory of the season.
The rally made a winning pitcher out of Ryan Tapani (2-1), who threw two hitless and scoreless innings as the last of nine Bluejay hurlers to pitch in the contest. Tapani struck out four and allowed just one baserunner in his longest scoreless outing as a Bluejay.
The game was scoreless until the third inning, when SDSU went ahead 1-0 to chase Austin Stroschein before the Bluejays tied it on a wild pitch from Jackrabbit starter Hunter Even. CU went ahead 3-1 in the fourth frame when Only doubled and scored on a foul out, while Clark Brinkman doubled to score Parker Upton with two outs to end Even's night.
SDSU tied the contest with two runs in the top of the fifth inning, then took a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning on Matt Johnson's double to plate Philip Jacobson.
After CU tied the game in the eighth inning on Michael Emodi's RBI single to bring home Parker Upton, the Jackrabbits regained the lead in the top of the ninth with three straight hits against Bluejay closer David Gerber, with the RBI going to Kolton Michalski after his first hit of the season. That set the stage for CU's dramatics in the bottom of the ninth frame against Halbur.
Creighton returns to the diamond on Thursday with a 2:00 pm Central game at Georgetown to resume BIG EAST play.
NOTES: South Dakota State's 16 men left on base tied a TD Ameritrade Park Omaha record first set by North Carolina vs. Vanderbilt in the 2011 College World Series ... The 15 combined pitchers in the game also tied a park record, done three times previously ... Creighton's three-game win streak matches a season-high ... Creighton improved to 9-5 at home this season and has now won the last eight meetings in the series against SDSU ... Blake Whitecotton made his second start of the season for the Bluejays, catching the first four innings before being lifted for pinch-hitter Michael Emodi ... Ryan Tapani's four strikeouts were his high as a Bluejay ... Clark Brinkman had two doubles and now owns three two-baggers in his last three games ... Creighton has won all seven games against South Dakota State since 2005 that have been decided by exactly one run.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Tapani, Ryan (2-1)
L: Brett Mogen (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Matt Johnson 1 ; Luke Ringhofer 1
RBI: Matt Johnson 1 ; Luke Ringhofer 2 ; Jake Thompson 1 ; Kolton Michalski 1
SH: Philip Jacobson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Philip Jacobson 1 ; Matt Johnson 2 ; Luke Ringhofer 1 ; Jake Thompson 1
SB: Philip Jacobson 1
Batting:
2B: Brinkman, Clark 2 ; Robertson, Will 1 ; Only, Bryce 1 ; Emodi, Michael 1
RBI: Brinkman, Clark 1 ; Robertson, Will 1 ; Only, Bryce 1 ; Allbery, Jason 1 ; Emodi, Michael 1
SH: Luevano, Thomas 1 ; Ortega, Nick 1
SF: Allbery, Jason 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Brinkman, Clark 1 ; Luevano, Thomas 1 ; Reznicek, Ben 1 ; Only, Bryce 1 ; Upton, Parker 2
SB: Luevano, Thomas 1
CS: Landuyt, Riley 1
HBP: Landuyt, Riley 1 ; Allbery, Jason 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
6
R
1
H
4
RBI
1
AB
6
R
1
H
3
RBI
1
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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OF
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C
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