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OMAHA, Neb.—Creighton University right-hander Jonas Dufek out-dueled University of Evansville senior right-hander Keegan Dennis on Friday night at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska, as the Bluejays were able to take the series opener over the visiting Purple Aces by a score of 3-2.
Dufek limited the Purple Aces to just two runs on five base hits, while striking out eight men to improve to a Missouri Valley Conference-best 7-1 with 8.0-plus innings of work. Left-hander Mark Winkelman then worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in the ninth inning to earn his first save of the year and preserve the victory.
“We had our opportunities tonight against Jonas Dufek, but we just weren’t able to come through in some key situations,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll. “Keegan Dennis really battled hard today, but Creighton took advantage of a few misplays we made today, and they were able to win the opener. Now, we need to bounce back tomorrow and even this series.”
Creighton was able to draw first blood in the third inning, as they scored on a sacrifice fly by catcher Carson Vitale and a run-scoring wild pitch on a two-strike pitch with two outs. The Bluejays then pushed the lead to 3-0 in the fifth inning on another run-scoring wild pitch, before UE was able to answer back offensively with a two-run home run by freshman shortstop Eric Stamets in the sixth inning.
Evansville would threaten in both the eighth and ninth inning, as junior outfielder Greg Wallace came just a foot foul from a run-scoring double in the eighth, before earning a walk. UE then put runners on the corners with two outs in the ninth, before Winkelman was able to strike out pinch-hitter Ryan Oesterle on a pay-off pitch to end the contest.
Dennis scattered three runs on five hits in 6.2 innings of work, before giving way to junior reliever Zach Taylor, who tossed 1.1 perfect innings of relief. Stamets paced UE offensively by going 3-for-4 with both runs driven in.
With the victory, Creighton improves to 20-17 overall and 7-9 in the MVC, while UE falls to 23-18 overall and 5-5 in the Valley. The two teams will continue the series on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. in a game that can be heard live on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.
