The Creighton softball team has had a solid two weeks, going 5-3 with a non-conference win over South Dakota to go along with winning their first two Big East series against Providence and Butler these past two weekends The Jays took the first two games of each series before dropping the last ones. The Jays also lost a rivalry game to Nebraska on March 21 in Lincoln.
The Jays (16-12, 4-2 Big East) traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana for a weekend series against Butler (12-19, 3-3 Big East). On Saturday, the Jays won the doubleheader by scores of 8-3 and 5-3. In the opener, Creighton fell behind 2-0 after the third inning but tied it up in the fifth inning behind doubles from senior centerfielder Sam Crowley and senior first baseman Hope Moreno.
After the two teams traded runs to make the score 3-3, the Jays scored five unanswered runs to end the game. Sophomore pinch hitter Mileah McKelvy hit a three-run homer in the sixth to put the Jays up 7-3 and sophomore right fielder Ashley Cantu drove in the final run in the seventh. Freshman pitcher Kiele Miller gave the Jays a strong performance with 10 strikeouts over five innings, allowing only two runs.
The finale of the doubleheader saw the Jays jump out to a 5-0 lead, thanks to sophomore catcher Mikaela Pechar, who had a two-run double in the first inning and followed that with a two-run homer in the third.
Crowley added a solo shot in the fourth before the Bulldogs scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the fourth. The Bulldogs never got a runner past second base after this, as senior pitcher Bryana Clark and Miller picked up the win and the save, respectively, by only allowing two hits over the last three innings and striking out five.
The last game of the series was frustrating for the Jays as they were shutout 2-0, even though they had 11 total base runners to the Bulldogs six. The Bulldogs managed only two hits from the game, which came in the fourth inning along with the walked batter that allowed Butler to get their two runs.
The Jays had plenty of chances, as they left multiple runners on base in five of the seven innings. Creighton also got a baserunner to second base in six of the seven innings, but never drove anyone home.
Miller and Clark combined only gave up two hits in the games, but the Jays left 12 runners on base, which ended up making the difference.
Creighton opened the week at home against South Dakota (14-27, 4-5 Summit League), winning in a dominant fashion, 10-2, in a game that only took five innings. The Jays jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning with help from a three-run homer by Cantu.
“Before the game I was telling myself to be patient,” Cantu said. “I actually didn’t [think the ball was going out], that’s why right when I hit it I thought I missed it but then it kept going and going and then sure enough it went over.”
After adding another run in the third inning, the Jays would push the lead to 10-0 after the fourth, thanks to a two-run double by junior designated player Nikki McNeil and RBI singles from Cantu and senior catcher Jordyn Sturgeon. Miller had another solid performance on the mound, allowing no runs on four hits and six strikeouts. The Coyotes scored twice in the fifth inning against Clark but could pull no closer.
The Jays started off Big East play by hosting Providence (7-21, 4-3 Big East) for a three game series on March 28 and 29.
Creighton jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings in the opener against the Friars behind two singles and two RBIs from junior second baseman Jayci McGill. The Friars would respond in the fourth inning with five runs, including a three-run homer to tie things up. The two teams would go scoreless until the ninth inning when the teams traded runs to make it 6-6.
McGill would continue her great performance with a walk-off home run in the 10th inning to finish her night 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBIs.
The Friars struck first in the seccond game of the doubleheader but the Jays would score the next three runs, thanks to RBIs from McGill, Moreno and junior shortstop Kelli Finan. The Jays got another masterful performance from Miller who tossed a complete game and gave up zero earned runs on four hits and struck out six. Providence would score another run in the sixth, but Miller would retire the side in the seventh inning to close out the Friars.
The final game of the series saw the Jays jump out to another early lead, 5-1 after two innings, as Crowley hit a two-run homer but the Friars would complete the comeback this time, scoring the final seven runs of the game.
On March 21, the Jays took on in-state rival Nebraska (27-14, 5-5 Big Ten) in Lincoln, falling 6-2. Creighton would fall behind 3-0 after three innings and would never lead in the contest. The Jays would get RBIs from McGill and Cantu for their only runs but the Huskers would three more runs, never giving the Jays a chance at a comeback.
Creighton will travel to Vermillion, South Dakota, this Wednesday to play South Dakota at 3 p.m. before starting their third Big East series at home against DePaul (24-13, 7-2 Big East) this weekend with a doubleheader on Saturday before finishing on Sunday at 11 a.m.