Coming off a heartbreaking 6-5 midweek loss to its in-state rival Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Creighton baseball team had little time to regroup before heading up to Storrs, Conn. to open Big East play on the road in a series against the Connecticut Huskies.
The Bluejays had an overall record of 13-13 going into the series but had not yet played a Big East opponent. The Huskies were 15-15 overall with a Big East record of 2-1 due to a weekend series in which UConn won two out of three games over the Xavier Musketeers.
The series serves as a rematch of the Big East Tournament championship game last season, where the Bluejays earned a 7-4 victory over UConn in Ed Servais’ final year as Creighton’s head coach. The two teams were picked in the preseason poll to finish atop the conference, so this series had some extra excitement tied to it.
The first game of the series was played April 2. UConn got on the board first in the bottom of the second, scoring with two outs. Junior outfielder Nater Wachter led off with a walk and later stole second during sophomore catcher Chris Cancel’s at-bat before Cancel struck out looking. Evan Menzel then popped out on a bunt attempt, but redshirt sophomore infielder Peyton Jemison came through with a double to left field that scored Wachter. Jemison was thrown out trying to advance to third to end the inning, as UConn finished with one run on one hit and no runners left on base, giving the Huskies a 1-0 lead.
In the top of the fifth, Creighton scored two runs to take the lead. Junior catcher Connor Capece singled to start the inning, and after a flyout, graduate student infielder Rocco Gump walked to put two on. Sophomore infielder Nick Venteicher followed with a single to load the bases with one out, but freshman catcher Nick Bowron struck out swinging for the second out. Graduate student Teddy Deters then delivered a two-RBI single to the left side, scoring both Gump and Capece and moving Venteicher to second. North popped out to end the top of the fifth. The Bluejays held a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the inning.
In the top of the ninth, Creighton added an insurance run. Redshirt junior outfielder Isaac Wachsmann led off with a walk, and Capece followed with a single that moved him to third. Graduate student outfielder Lew Rice then reached on a fielder’s choice on a bunt to the pitcher, bringing Wachsmann home to make it 3-1 in favor of the Bluejays.
Connecticut was unable to score in the bottom of the ninth, and Creighton held on to win the first game of the series by a final score of 3-1, giving Creighton an overall record of 14-13 and a conference record of 1-0.
The second game of the series was played April 3 and was a disaster for Creighton. Although things looked optimistic when Deters gave Creighton a 1-0 advantage with a solo home run in the top of the first, things started to crumble when UConn scored four runs in the bottom of the third, giving the Huskies a comfortable 4-1 lead.
The Bluejays showed a bit of fight in the bottom of the fourth when Gump singled and moved to second on a left field error. After two outs, senior catcher Nate McHugh came up and tripled to right field, allowing Gump to come all the way around and score, cutting the lead to 4-2. However, UConn’s offensive attack continued, and the Huskies won the game by a final score of 11-2, dropping Creighton to 14-14 overall and 1-1 in Big East play.
The third game was played April 4 and served as a rubber match. UConn got on the board early as Polemeni singled and later moved to third after another single by Righi. With runners on, a wild pitch allowed redshirt junior outfielder Chris Polemeni to come home and score the game’s first run, giving UConn an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Creighton took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third after putting two runners on with singles from Venteicher and Rice. With two outs, McHugh delivered a triple to center field that brought both runners home, scoring Venteicher and Rice. UConn responded in the bottom of the inning with a two-run homer from freshman catcher/utility Cam Right, and the Huskies led 3-2 going into the fourth inning.
UConn used the bottom of the fourth to build a solid lead. Redshirt junior first baseman Maddix Dalena singled and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. After two outs, Polemeni hit a two-run homer to left field, scoring both himself and Dalena. Righi followed with a solo home run to right-center, making it three runs in the inning, and UConn led 6-2 going into the fifth.
Despite the comfortable Husky lead, Creighton refused to give up. Creighton scored two runs in the top of the sixth inning, starting with a solo home run to left field by graduate student infielder Ben North. Capece followed with a double and later moved to third, and after a walk and a fielder’s choice that resulted in an out at second, the Bluejays had runners in scoring position. Venteicher then walked to load the bases, and Rice brought in another run with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Capece. A hit-by-pitch loaded the bases again, but McHugh grounded out to end the top of the sixth. Although it was painful for the Bluejays to leave three on base, they were back in it, and the score was 6-4 going into the bottom of the sixth. However, Dalena hit a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth, and Creighton was down 7-4 going into the seventh.
The Bluejays continued to claw back into the game. Creighton rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh. North singled and moved into scoring position after Capece was hit by a pitch, then advanced to third on a steal. After a strikeout, Wachsmann delivered a two-RBI double to center field, scoring both North and Capece to cut the deficit. Venteicher followed with another double down the right field line that brought Wachsmann home, tying the game at 7-7, and the game remained tied going into the seventh-inning stretch.
UConn regained the lead in the bottom of the inning when junior infielder Tyler Minick doubled and was brought home on an RBI double to center field by sophomore first baseman Jackson Marshall. This put the Huskies on top 8-7.
Creighton tied the game in the top of the eighth with help from UConn errors. Gump led off with a double, and after McHugh reached on a throwing error by the third baseman, Gump moved to third. Deters then singled to load the bases, and North reached on another error by the third baseman, allowing Gump to score and tie the score at 8 runs apiece.
The bottom of the eighth was less pleasant. UConn took an 11-8 lead because of a homer that Righi hit with two runners on base. Creighton found itself down by three runs going into the final inning of the game.
Wachsmann hit a solo homer in the top of the ninth, but Creighton wasn’t able to score any more runs, and UConn won the game by a final score of 11-9.
This gut-wrenching loss gave UConn the series win and put Creighton at 14-15 overall with a 1-2 record in Big East play.
After a midweek matchup with North Dakota State at Charles Schwab Field, Creighton opens Big East play at home with a series against Seton Hall. The first of three games, weather depending, is set for tonight, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m.