March 29, 2008

Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

OMAHA, Neb. - The University of Northern Iowa softball team dropped two games to Creighton, 4-2 and 11-6, Saturday afternoon. The Bluejays needed extra innings to top the Panthers in the first game, scoring the games winning runs in the bottom of the 10th inning. Creighton then used an eight-run fourth frame to take the win in the second game of the afternoon.

 

Game 1

Creighton put the first run of the day on the board in the bottom of the second frame when Michelle Graner drove a solo home run to right field.

 

Jen Larsen (Moline, Ill./Moline) responded for the Panthers in the top of the fourth with a long-ball of her own to put the Panthers on the board and knot the score at 1-1.

 

After the Bluejays added another run in the fifth frame, UNI tied the score again, 2-2, with a RBI by Morgan Paulson (Fort Dodge, Iowa/ Fort Dodge).

 

The score would stay tied at 2-2 until Creighton's Jessi Jadlowski hit a ground-rule double to opened the bottom of the tenth. TJ Eadus sealed the win for the Jays with a home run to right center to give Creighton the 4-2 win.

 

Creighton's Tara Oltman earned the win for the Jays, tossing 11 strikeouts and allowing just four hits. UNI's Ashley Lepley (Albia, Iowa/Albia) was tagged for the loss, allowing four hits and no walks in the contest.

 

Game 2

 

Creighton struck first in game two of the afternoon when Eadus connected for her second home run of the day to put the Jays up 1-0. 

 

Freshman Michelle Phillips (Waukee, Iowa/Waukee) responded with her career-first home run, blasting a long ball to left field and plating Rachel Gerking (Spirit Lake, Iowa/Spirit Lake).

 

The long-balls continued to fly as Creighton connected for the sixth home run of the game, and the second for Graner, in the bottom of the second.

 

UNI added another run in the top of the fourth when Brittney Balduf (Mason City, Iowa/Mason City) stroked a double down the left field line. Kelly Papesh (Minooka, Ill./Minooka) singled, followed by an RBI single by Megan Machovec (DeWitt, Iowa/Central).

 

Creighton used an eight-run frame in the bottom of the fourth to seemingly put the game out of reach for the Panthers.

 

UNI attempted to repair the damage in the top of the fifth by putting three runs on the board. Gerking connected for a single to open the inning followed by a double by Phillips. Lepley then stroked an RBI single to left field. Balduf connected for her second double of the day, sending in two runs to close the gap to 10-6.

 

Creighton tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth frame on Eadus' third home run of the day.

 

Phillips finished the game two-for-three at the plate, including two RBI and two runs scored. Balduf went two-for-four and also recorded two RBIs.

 

UNI's Sarah Bakey (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) took the loss for the Panthers, tossing 3.2 innings.

 

UNI falls to 11-15 and 0-5 in Missouri Valley Conference play while Creighton improves to 24-10 and a perfect 4-0 in Valley play. The Panthers will wrap-up the three game series with Creighton tomorrow with the final game beginning at 12 p.m.