Creighton Sweeps Nova to Earn 30th Win
The Creighton Bluejays baseball team navigated an unusual schedule to complete a three game sweep of the Villanova Wildcats. Creighton is now 30-9 on the season and 8-1 in Big East conference play.
The series was originally scheduled to take place in the typical weekend format with games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. However, after the Jays’ 9-3 win on Friday night, the decision was made to play a doubleheader on Saturday to avoid some possible weather complications with the Sunday game.
Creighton took the first game of the doubleheader on Saturday 10-4, but the game was much closer than the final score would indicate. The game was a back and forth affair with the score tied at four heading into the top of the ninth where the Bluejays were finally able to pull away with a six run inning. CU was led by third baseman Harrison Crawford who went 3-5 at the plate with a home run and a double. He also tallied two runs scored and four RBI.
The final game of the doubleheader and the series got underway without a hitch and the Jays raced out to a 6-2 lead highlighted a strong outing from starting pitcher Keith Rogalla. The sophomore threw six innings and gave up just one run on four hits. Rogalla also struck out seven and walked three.
Things got interesting as the game entered the late stages and it became clear they would not be able to finish the game due to darkness. The game was suspended heading into the top of the eighth inning and scheduled to be completed on Sunday. While the weather didn’t totally cooperate, they were able to resume play Sunday afternoon, and that’s when the real drama started.
Villanova scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to make it a 6-5 game. Creighton used three pitchers to make it through the final two innings but were able to hang on for the win with David Gerber earning his ninth save of the season in closing out the Wildcats.
Creighton will now return home to face Georgetown in a three game series starting on Friday at TD Ameritrade Park. The Friday game begins at 6:30 PM and can be seen on the Big East Digital Network. Saturday’s 7 PM game is also televised, this time on NET. Sunday's game is schedule to start at noon and can be heard on 1620 The Zone.