Following an eighth-place finish in the competitive BIG EAST conference last season, the Creighton softball team came into the 2024 season the underdogs. However, the Bluejays flipped the script, emerging as a powerhouse within the conference as they handed the Villanova Wildcats their first conference series loss last weekend.
Anticipation of inclement weather on Sunday prompted the teams to expedite the games, resulting in a thrilling doubleheader on Friday.
In game one, the Jays were the first to strike as senior Emma Ronsonke drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Jays up 1-0 after the first.
Villanova was quick to respond, scoring 3 runs in the top of the third. Singles from senior Brooklyn Ostrowski to right field paved the way for graduate student Victoria Sebastain’s two-run homer. The Wildcats scored one more before the Bluejay defense could snag the third out of the inning.
Creighton countered with a home run of their own, as freshman Sydney Potter sent the ball soaring to cut the deficit to one after three innings of play.
The bats came alive for both teams in the fifth frame for a combined nine-run inning, as the Wildcats plated four in the top half before the Jays answered back with 5 of their own.
Senior Alyssa Gappa kissed the ball goodbye as she earned a home run of her own, tallying two runs to narrow the score 7-4. With the bases loaded, senior Cayla Nielsen advanced the runners after a hit by pitch, scoring the third run of the inning for the Jays. A single from fifth-year senior Madeline Vejvoda drove in two more runs to tie the game at 7 all after five.
“Anytime you get a home run, it gives the team momentum and energy,” head coach Krista Wood said. “That was huge for both [Potter and Gappa] to come up in that situation and get one over the fence.”
Tension was high and the score close as sophomore Natalia Puchino came into the circle, throwing 3 hitless innings to give the Jays an opportunity heading into the bottom of the eighth, all tied at 7-7.
With two outs and a runner on second, Ronsonke walked up to bat with confidence, ready to ‘Let it Fly.’
“I’m just trusting, trusting myself, trusting the girls around me and my swing,” Ronsonke said. “We’ve been staying on top of all day, so I just wanted to get after it.”
The Omaha native swung with confidence, finding the gap between left and center to deliver a walk-off double and clinch the win for Creighton.
“The kids fought hard. Going into extras, I fought they fought back even when we were down 7-2,” Wood said. “They just continued to push and push and play together.”
Heading into the second match-up of the day, the team looked to continue the success, as Puchino stayed in the circle for the Jays. However, both offenses were slow to start, going scoreless for the first two innings.
Creighton opened up scoring in the bottom of the third as sophomore Ella Dalton gave the “go-ahead” following a wild pitch, allowing the runner to run to home and put the Jays up 1-0.
The Wildcats leveled the score with a home run from junior Brooklyn Ostrowski, shifting the momentum in their favor. Dalton was quick to chase down the ball deep into centerfield but let go of it just on the other side of the fence as she collided with the wall.
The Bluejay offense was unable to respond, while Villanova capitalized on the opportunity, scoring two runs on two hits and a walk to take at 3-1 lead after five innings.
With two innings left, the Jays were not going to give up. Vejvoda delivered her ninth double of the season. Dalton found space up the middle for an RBI single to score Vejvoda and cut the deficit down to 1.
Poised at the mound, junior Kenzie Schopfer stifled the Wildcat offense to give Creighton a fighting chance, yet the Jays couldn’t capitalize. In the bottom of the seventh, with senior Cayla Nielsen on third and one final out remaining, Ronsonke came up to bat once again with a chance to secure the series.
Despite her valiant effort, her hit was caught deep into centerfield, ending the game and tying the series at 1-1.
“Emma has been hitting the ball really well. She came up with that game winning hit and almost had another game winning hit there,” Wood said. “Just seeing her lead that way offensively is really cool to see, and I think it gives everybody else confidence to play with her and around her.”
Saturday marked the decisive third game of the series, with the winner taking all. This time, the Jays wasted no time. A walk for leadoff Nielsen put a runner on base, followed by a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Lily West to move Nielsen into scoring position. With Vejvoda in the 3-hole, she swung for her tenth double of the season, scoring Nielsen to give the Jays at 1-0 advantage after the opening frame.
The Wildcats, however, were quick to find their rhythm after a slow start, answering with their first of 3 homeruns of the game. Sophomore Lilly St. Jean delivered a single down the left, followed by a bomb from freshman Grace Reed that flew past the center fence for a two-run homer, giving Villanova their first lead of the day.
In the bottom half of the second, Creighton carried the momentum at the plate, scoring 3 runs of their own to regain a 4-2 lead. Nielsen delivered a two-run single up the middle. West continued the success, providing an RBI sacrifice fly to extend the lead for the Jays.
Villanova’s senior Tess Cites and Ostrowski each delivered timely solo shots over the fence in the top of the third frame to tie the ball game at 4-4, however the score didn’t stay even for long as the Jays took advantage of four Wildcat errors to reclaim a 9-4 lead.
Puchino came into the circle for the Jays, smothering the Villanova offense by pitching three scoreless innings.
“Anytime you can have that good pitching, it keeps you in every game,” Wood said. “It give your defense confidence and gives your offense a little bit of confidence.”
For the Wildcats, Kelsey White led the defense. Despite a pair shoutout innings of her own, the Jays built on their earlier success, scoring 3 more runs to end the contest early.
Back-to-back singles from Vejvoda and the fierce freshman Potter got the inning started, puttiing runners on first and second as five-holder Dalton walked up to the plate. She took advantage of the runners, delivering an RBI double down left field to extend the lead 10-4. Potter ran home following an RBI groundout from Ronsonke. The Jays claimed the victory as Dalton scored off a walk-off single up the middle from Gappa.
The win marked the Jays’ third BIG EAST series win of the season, the program’s most since the 2021 season.
“It’s been our mission all week to come out, attack this team and get them,” Ronsonke said. “it was a really fun [and] competitive.”
Now standing tall at second place in the BIG EAST standings with an 8-4 conference record, the Jays look to continue their success as they head to Storrs, CT. for a 3-game series against the Huskies.
“[We have] a lot of confidence,” Ronsonke said. “It’s really what we all needed as a team. We are in the part of our season where everything matters more, and I think we are right where we need to be.”