North Charleston, S.C. — Creighton Baseball completed a sweep of the road series at Charleston Southern by claiming both halves of a doubleheader on Saturday, March 30. The Bluejays took the opening game 10-7, then snagged the nightcap 6-3.
Following Saturday’s results the Bluejays are 20-4 on the season, while Charleston Southern fell to 12-16 on the season.
Game 1: Creighton 10, Charleston Southern 7
Trailing 3-1 after the opening frame the Bluejays scored six straight with three runs in the third and three more in the fifth.
The Bluejays’ trio of runs in the third got rolling as Ben North lifted a double to left, then one out later Tate Gillen bounced an RBI single up the middle. Later in the inning Nolan Clifford laced an RBI single through the right side to knot the game at 3-3. Colby Canales followed with an RBI grounder to make it 4-3.
In the fifth the top of the order (Gillen, Teddy Deters and Clifford) all delivered singles, followed by a second productive out by Canales and an RBI single from Nolan Sailors to give Creighton a 7-3 edge.
The Bluejays pushed across insurance runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth, then held on for the 10-7 win.
Reliever Eli Nissen earned the win (2-0), limiting the Buccaneers to one run on two hits over five innings, while Shane Curtin earned his third save of the season by getting the final two outs of the game with two runners on.
Charleston Southern starter Sam Massey took the loss (1-3), allowing four runs on five hits over 2.1 innings.
Deters closed the game 3-for-5 with three runs scored, while Clifford went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Game 2: Creighton 6, Charleston Southern 3
After falling behind in the opening frame for the second straight contest, Creighton rallied once more with a four-run third.
This Bluejay surge was sparked by a walk to Hogan Helligso, a failed fielder’s choice off the bat of North, then an error allowed Matt Scherrman to reach loaded the bases. Gillen took full advantage with a two-run single, then an RBI fielder’s choice by Clifford made it 3-1. Before the close of the frame Deters laced an RBI double down the left field line.
CSU pulled within a run with tallies in the fourth and seventh innings, only to see Creighton push across insurance runs in the eighth and ninth.
Creighton’s run in the eighth came as Will MacLean blasted a leadoff triple and Canales lifted a sac fly to left. The run in the ninth, meanwhile, took advantage of a walk, an error and an RBI single by MacLean.
Reliever Shea Wendt earned the win (1-0) with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief, while Mason Koch notched his second save of the season by recording a flawless final 2.2 innings.
MacLean led the offense within three hits (3-for-5), a run scored and an RBI, while Gillen was 1-for-4 with two RBI.
Creighton returns to action on Tuesday, April 2 as the Bluejays face Nebraska at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m.
