The Nebraska baseball team posted its seventh consecutive victory against Creighton by scoring seven two-out runs.
The Huskers defeated the Bluejays 8-2 at Hawks Field in Lincoln, Nebraska on Tuesday night.
Nebraska centerfielder Ryan Boldt led the way with two home runs for his first career multi-home run game, knocked in four RBIs and scored three times to guide the Cornhuskers to their 14th win over the past 15 games.
The Bluejays loss snapped their 10-game win streak and marked their fifth consecutive loss in Lincoln.
Nebraska (17-7) finished 8 for 15 with two outs on its way to scoring all but one of its runs with two outs.
By contrast, the Jays had one hit in nine tries with two outs.
The Huskers scored three runs in the second and three in the fourth. In both cases, the first two hitters of the inning produced outs.
Creighton (16-5) starter Connor Miller escaped a first-inning jam, stranding two runners in scoring position after the first two reached base, but the senior did not have as much luck in the second.
After recording two quick outs, Jake Schleppenbach drew a walk and Steven Reveles laced a single to put two runners on for Boldt.
Boldt delivered on the first pitch of his plate appearance with a three-run home run into the right-field bleachers to put Nebraska on top 3-0.
The Bluejays responded with a single run in their half of the third on a sacrifice fly by Big East Player of the Week Ryan Fitzgerald, but also stranded a runner at third base to close the inning.
Miller recorded two outs to open the fourth before allowing a single to Reveles to end his outing with a career-high 77 pitches over 3 2/3 innings pitched.
Senior left-hander Sam Norman replaced the starter and walked both Boldt and Jake Placzek to load the bases. Nebraska’s Ben Miller also received a free pass to first after being hit by the first delivery of his at bat to push home Reveles from third.
The Creighton pitching staff surrendered only nine walks in 25 innings of work during three games against Stony Brook last weekend. The Bluejays walked five Huskers on Tuesday.
“Our pitchers did not throw enough strikes – something that we’ve done an excellent job of that over the last three weeks — we didn’t throw enough strikes, and they took advantage of it,” coach Ed Servais said.
Sophomore Ethan DeCaster came in with a chance to keep the deficit at three, but Scott Schreiber worked a 10-pitch at bat and laced a single to right-center field to drive in Boldt and Placzek and extended the lead to 6-1.
“They had good two-strike approaches and it was hard to get them out,” senior outfielder Brett Murray said. “Our pitchers had to throw a lot of pitches when they were ahead in the count because they kept battling. That was the difference tonight.”
Cornhusker reliever Reece Eddins retired the Bluejays in order in both the fourth and fifth innings.
Nebraska expanded its cushion with an RBI-double down the left-field line from Reveles in the home half of the fifth.
Reveles delivered three base hits in his first three trips to the plate before junior Austin Stroschein struck him out for the final out of the seventh inning. Reveles ended the night 3 for 4 with two runs scored, an RBI and his fifth stolen base of the season.
The Bluejays had their best chance to cut into the lead during the sixth inning with runners at first and second and only one out, and senior first baseman Reagan Fowler at the plate.
The Huskers escaped any damage as Garett King forced Fowler to ground into an inning-ending double play, ending the threat and keeping the advantage at six.
“This weekend we have to do a better job of executing and having our best at-bats when there’s runners on base,” Murray said.
Nebraska scored its final run with a home run from Boldt on the first pitch of the eighth inning. Boldt’s second home run resulted in the Huskers’ lone run with less than two outs.
Murray gave Creighton a chance in the top of the ninth with a one-out double to the left-center field gap.
Murray, one of only two Bluejays to record more than one hit, finished the night 3 for 4, but ended two innings in scoring position.
“He was the best hitter on the team tonight – most aggressive – and he’s been hot really the last four or five games,” Servais said. “But we need more than one guy to beat a team like this.”
Senior Matt Gandy drove in Murray to give the Bluejays their second run of the night before Garett King concluded a four-inning save by forcing pinch-hitter Riley Landuyt to pop out to the first baseman.
The Jays last win against Nebraska came on April 26, 2013 in Omaha.
“It hurts, but we’re looking at the big picture and we have a lot of things to work on throughout the rest of the season, and we’re not going to let this hang over our head,” Murray said.
Creighton is back in action this weekend at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha against Jacksonville. First pitch for the first of three games is set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday.