March 11, 2007

Box Score

OMAHA, Neb. - Saint Louis put together back-to-back one-out singles in the first and eighth innings but it wasn't enough as it fell to Creighton 14-0 in the series finale on Sunday at CU Sports Complex in Omaha, Neb. The Bluejays allowed the Billikens third base just once in game three of the series.

Ryan Crespi (Sparta, N.J./Sussex County CC) and Greg Rodgers (St. Charles, Mo./St. Charles CC) hit consecutive one-out singles in the first but the Bluejays immediately turned a double play to end the threat. CU (8-6) jumped ahead in the bottom half of the frame as SLU starter Brock Hewitt (Boerne, Texas/Trinity) issued a leadoff walk. The runner stole second on a strikeout and eventually scored on Chris Gradoville's single to centerfield.

The Bluejays added two more runs in the third. Hewitt put the leadoff batter on base after hitting him. The runner advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a Billiken error. Darin Ruf then knocked a double into the right centerfield gap to put a pair of Jays in scoring position. Hewitt retired the next batter on strikes before Steve Winkelmann hit an RBI single to third base to push the score to 3-0.

Hewitt (0-4) and the Billikens ran into trouble again in the sixth. Andrew Small started the rally with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Hewitt hit the next batter before inducing an infield fly for the second out. He then hit another batter to load the bases with two outs. Robbie Knight singled through the left side to drive in the first run of the frame and the ensuing batter reached on an infield error as another Bluejay scored to chase Hewitt from the game. He surrendered six hits, four earned runs and three walks while fanning five in 5-2/3 innings.

Dan Cowsert (St. Louis, Mo./SWIC) didn't fare much better in relief. With the bases full, Gradoville hit a two-run single during which time the Billikens committed another error as the score inched upward even more. Ruf drove in the ninth run of the game on a triple to left center and Small plated Ruf with a single to left field to make it 10-0 heading into the seventh.

Bill Musselman (Homer Glen, Ill./Providence Catholic) helped Saint Louis (1-13) with a leadoff single in the seventh but that was all the offense the Bills got in that frame as the next three batters were retired in order. Tom Pinnell (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) and J.D. Dunn (Franklin, Tenn./Centennial) hit consecutive one-out singles in the eighth but Creighton reliever David Merchant turned away the next two Billikens to end the threat.

Creighton added three runs in the seventh on three hits and a final run in the eighth on a hit, a pair of walks and a fielder's choice for the final margin. Mancuso recorded the victory for the Bluejays, who used seven pitchers. In two innings he allowed just three hits while striking out one.

Musselman was the only Billiken with a multiple-hit outing as all seven of SLU's hits came from the top half of the batting order.