OMAHA, Neb.—After the University of Evansville baseball team rallied from an early five-run deficit on Sunday afternoon to tie the game in the sixth inning, the Creighton University Bluejays exploded for six runs in the sixth inning and four more in the seventh to run-rule the visiting Purple Aces, 15-5, at the C.U. Sports Complex in Omaha, Nebraska.

 

“The best part of this weekend is that it is over,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll. “We did not play good, Evansville baseball this weekend, and Creighton made us pay. Now, we just have to put this weekend behind us and look forward to coming home this week to finish up finals and take on both Oakland City and Indiana State at the Braun.”

 

Creighton jumped to an early 5-0 lead thanks to home runs by second baseman Alex Staehely in the second inning and outfielders Trever Adams and T.J. Roemmich in the third. Evansville would answer back with a two-run home run of its own in the fourth inning off of the bat of junior outfielder Nate Smith, before plating two runs on a Creighton throwing error in the fifth and tying the game at 5-5 in the sixth inning on a solo home run by senior first baseman Tom Heithoff.

 

Despite all of the home runs in the game, the contest turned in the bottom of the sixth inning on a hit batter and a ball that barely left the dirt circle of home plate. After a lead-off double by designated hitter Scott Thornburg and a sacrifice bunt, UE reliever Zach Taylor (1-1) hit outfielder Joey Bowens with a two-strike pitch. Creighton shortstop Elliot Soto then laid down a bunt base hit on which Taylor and catcher Chris Pearson collided to score a run and put two men in scoring position.

 

Third baseman Jimmy Swift followed with an RBI single to push Creighton’s lead to 7-5, before Adams launched his second home run of the game, a three-run shot to right field, to move the score to 10-5. 

 

Creighton would tack on another run in the sixth inning to push the lead to 11-5, before scoring four runs in the seventh to invoke the Missouri Valley Conference’s run rule. First baseman Ian Dike capped Creighton’s four-run seventh with a two-run double to left field to end the game.

 

Creighton starter Brandon Koenigstein (4-2) earned the victory on the mound for the Bluejays by scattering five runs (three earned) on 10 base hits in a complete-game effort. Soto, Swift, Adams, Roemmich and Dike all had two-hit efforts to lead Creighton offensively, with Adams driving in a team-high four runs. Junior infielder Cody Fick paced Evansville with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate, while junior outfielder Greg Wallace and sophomore infielder Trentt Copeland added two-hit efforts.

 

With the victory, Creighton sweeps the three-game series from UE and improves to 22-17 overall and 9-9 in the MVC. Evansville, meanwhile, falls to 23-20 overall and 5-7 in the Valley with the loss. Evansville returns home now to Charles H. Braun Stadium to host Oakland City on Tuesday night at 6:00 p.m. before welcoming in-state rival Indiana State to town for a three-game series beginning on Friday night.