In a stellar pitching performance, the Creighton Bluejays defeated South Dakota State 1-0 on Tuesday’s game that was moved up a day due to inclement weather. The victory extends Creighton’s strong run to nine wins in their last ten games.
Junior starting pitcher Ian Koosman delivered the longest outing of his career, throwing 85 pitches over seven innings. Koosman struck out nine batters, allowed just two hits, and walked only one in a commanding performance. His dominance on the mound allowed the Bluejays to hang on to a slim lead.
“I focused on being efficient, throwing strikes, getting ahead, getting quick outs,” Koosman said after the game. “I just have to throw it over the plate, and I know my defense is good enough that they’re gonna make plays for me.”
Head coach Ed Servais was impressed with Koosman’s performance, especially given the team’s limited pitching staff due to injuries.
“To be honest, we were short on pitchers, so I had to stay with him. We were hoping for five [innings] and he gave us seven. So that was huge,” he said.
The bullpen continued the strong performance with Jimmy Burke recording two strikeouts in a flawless eighth inning. Garrett Langrell closed out the game with a scoreless ninth to preserve the shutout.
Creighton’s offense was less efficient, as many runners were left in scoring position. Kyle Hess hit a triple up the first baseline in the second inning and attempted to score on a wild pitch, but was thrown out. The only run of the game came in the fourth inning when Nolan Sailors hit a single, advanced to third on a blooper by Nate McHugh, and then scored on an RBI single by Ben North.
“We did have the bases loaded a couple of times, but a lot of that was with two outs. It would be nice to get on with one or no outs,” Servais said. “You could tell the hitters today were pressing and trying to do too much. It’s something we’ll have a chance to work on here in the next couple of days.”
Nevertheless, the Bluejays’ midweek win streak continued, now sitting at 15 consecutive victories. Servais credited the team’s mental approach to these games.
“Our preparation has been good,” he said. “We have some natural rivalries in those midweek games with Nebraska, UNO, and Kansas State, so our players enjoy them.”
As for the road ahead, Servais remains confident about the team’s prospects.
“We’re optimistic that we’re going to get a few more pitchers back. And then we have to get our bats going, because it puts so much pressure on the pitcher. Even if it’s just one or two more runs, that makes a huge difference,” he said.
The Bluejays will look to build on their momentum as they host St. Mary’s for a three-game series this weekend, beginning Friday at 6 p.m.