MASON, Ohio— The Creighton Bluejays moved on to the BIG EAST Tournament Championship game after defeating Xavier 7-4 on Saturday evening behind a career day from graduate third baseman Rocco Gump at Prasco Park.
Coming off a full day rain delay following Thursday night’s elimination-game win over UConn, the Bluejays returned to the field wearing the same uniforms and carrying the same momentum. And from his very first at-bat, Gump looked ready for the moment.
“Playoff baseball, it brings the best out of everybody I think,” Gump said. “It’s what we live for as college baseball players.”
Gump opened the game with a single to center field and later added two home runs as part of a dominant offensive performance that helped Creighton eliminate regular season co-champion Xavier and advance to the BIG EAST Tournament Championship game for the second straight season.
While Gump sparked the offense early, Xavier struck first in the second inning when junior Jonathan Fitz launched his fifth home run of the season to give the Musketeers a 1-0 lead.
Creighton starter Jakob Ruhl settled in quickly afterward. The freshman followed his 2.2 scoreless innings against St. John’s on Thursday with another strong outing, allowing just one run while striking out two across 2.2 innings. Junior Eli Nissen took over in relief and added 2.1 scoreless innings of his own to keep the Bluejays within striking distance.
The Jays threatened repeatedly through the opening innings but struggled to cash in. Creighton stranded runners in both the third and fourth innings despite singles from Gump, senior Nate McHugh, and sophomore Nick Venteicher.
That changed in the fifth.
Leading off the inning, Gump launched his second home run of the season into right-center field, tying the game and igniting the Bluejay dugout.
“[I’m] just seeing the ball well, excited to make a play for my team and help us win,” Gump said.
Creighton’s offense exploded shortly after. Graduate right fielder Teddy Deters drew a walk before junior designated hitter Cooper Fuchino lined a double into right-center field. Venteicher followed with an RBI single to give Creighton it’s first lead of the evening.
Two batters later, Gump returned to the plate with runners on the corners and delivered the biggest swing of the game. The graduate third baseman crushed his second homer of the night, and third of the season, extending the Bluejay lead to 5-1 and sending the Creighton dugout into celebration.
“You want to shine in the big moments,” Gump said. “It’s been great to be in the middle of it and help my team win.”
Xavier refused to fade quietly.
The Musketeers answered in the bottom half of the inning, capitalizing on control issues from the Bluejay bullpen to cut the deficit back to one. Two RBI walks helped Xavier claw back into the game and briefly shift momentum back toward the home dugout.
But Creighton responded again. In the seventh inning, graduate shortstop Ben North launched his first home run since Creighton’s walk-off win over Kansas at the beginning of the month, providing valuable insurance as the Bluejays tried to close out another elimination victory.
Junior Shea Wendt handled the final two innings, earning the save while allowing just one hit and striking out one.
Creighton added one final insurance run in the ninth behind hits from junior Connor Capece, Deters, and Venteicher before turning the game over to its defense.
And fittingly, the final outs found Gump. After a groundout to second base opened the ninth, Gump recorded the final two outs himself, fielding a ground ball before securing a lineout to send Creighton into the conference championship game.
“Trusting in ourselves and trusting in our preparation, and going out there and letting it happen,” Gump said.
Behind Gump’s two-homer performance and another resilient postseason effort, the Bluejays advanced one step closer to another NCAA Tournament appearance.
As Creighton battled for its return to the BIG EAST Championship game, one particularly loud group lingered just over the right field wall. A collection of local high school boys, self-described members of the “Rocco Fan Club,” spent the evening cheering on Gump before eventually getting removed from the game by stadium staff. Still, they promised they would be back for Sunday morning’s championship matchup with the No. 1 overall seed and 2-0 St. John’s. For Creighton to win the tournament and secure an automatic NCAA bid, they must defeat the Red Storm twice. First pitch is set for 8 a.m.
