Tweet
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...504270335/1002
Creighton gives Jackrabbits chilly reception
Chris Solari
csolari@argusleader.com
Published: 04/27/05 1:55 am
Sioux Falls' weather hasn't cooperated with South Dakota State's attempt to bring Division I baseball to town. On Tuesday, neither did the Creighton Blue Jays.
Creighton scored four times in the frigid first three innings, and the Blue Jays' pitchers put the Jackrabbits' bats into a deep freeze to defeat SDSU 13-1 at Sioux Falls Stadium.
"We came out kind of flat right away, and they jumped on us," said SDSU senior Greg Geary, who had a double and the Jacks' only RBI on a sixth-inning sacrifice fly. "We just couldn't get anything going."The Jackrabbits managed just five hits, dropping their record to 4-27 against established Division I competition this season.
Chris Gradoville and Dave Schultz each blasted two-run homers for Creighton, which improved to 32-10. The Blue Jays, who lead the Missouri Valley Conference with an 11-4 league record, are ranked 30th in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Poll."They're better than we are," Jackrabbit coach Reggie Christiansen said. "I'm just a little disappointed that we weren't competitive today at all.'"
SDSU, which lost 13-0 and 3-2 at Creighton in March, played its second game in a week in Sioux Falls, drawing just 351 fans on a day that felt more suited for football. This one didn't have nearly the suspense or intrigue of last Wednesday's contest, which Big Ten-leading Minnesota won 19-13.
The Blue Jays got a run in the first on an RBI single up the middle by Zach Daeges. An inning later, Gradoville smacked a laser over the stadium's left-field wall. His second homer of the year gave Creighton a 3-0 cushion off SDSU starter Francisco Torres.Torres gave up a pair of two-out hits in the third, including a bloop RBI single to Gradoville that scored Schultz, who had doubled.
"We talked about getting off to a good start and playing a complete game," Creighton manager Ed Servais said. "In a lot of ways, we did."Including on the mound, where the Blue Jays' pitchers handcuffed and frustrated SDSU hitters all evening. Creighton held the Jackrabbits without a hit until Geary's hustling bloop double in the bottom of the fourth.
Later in that inning, after a Nick Adams infield single, Geary tried to score on a double steal but was thrown out at the plate.
Creighton lowered its team ERA to 3.53 for the season, a mind-boggling number in the high-scoring, aluminum bat college game."We didn't respond offensively," Christiansen said. "I thought we were a little lackadaisical in the first couple innings, and they really attacked us with the fastball early in the counts.
"We just didn't come out and play like we're capable of playing."SDSU finishes its home schedule today with a doubleheader against Southwest Minnesota State starting at 3 p.m. at Bob Shelden Field in Brookings. The Jacks head to Fargo over the weekend to play four games with NDSU that start an 11-game, season-ending road trip.
"We just have to focus on (today) and our homestand with Southwest State," Geary said.
Creighton gives Jackrabbits chilly reception
Chris Solari
csolari@argusleader.com
Published: 04/27/05 1:55 am
Sioux Falls' weather hasn't cooperated with South Dakota State's attempt to bring Division I baseball to town. On Tuesday, neither did the Creighton Blue Jays.
Creighton scored four times in the frigid first three innings, and the Blue Jays' pitchers put the Jackrabbits' bats into a deep freeze to defeat SDSU 13-1 at Sioux Falls Stadium.
"We came out kind of flat right away, and they jumped on us," said SDSU senior Greg Geary, who had a double and the Jacks' only RBI on a sixth-inning sacrifice fly. "We just couldn't get anything going."The Jackrabbits managed just five hits, dropping their record to 4-27 against established Division I competition this season.
Chris Gradoville and Dave Schultz each blasted two-run homers for Creighton, which improved to 32-10. The Blue Jays, who lead the Missouri Valley Conference with an 11-4 league record, are ranked 30th in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Poll."They're better than we are," Jackrabbit coach Reggie Christiansen said. "I'm just a little disappointed that we weren't competitive today at all.'"
SDSU, which lost 13-0 and 3-2 at Creighton in March, played its second game in a week in Sioux Falls, drawing just 351 fans on a day that felt more suited for football. This one didn't have nearly the suspense or intrigue of last Wednesday's contest, which Big Ten-leading Minnesota won 19-13.
The Blue Jays got a run in the first on an RBI single up the middle by Zach Daeges. An inning later, Gradoville smacked a laser over the stadium's left-field wall. His second homer of the year gave Creighton a 3-0 cushion off SDSU starter Francisco Torres.Torres gave up a pair of two-out hits in the third, including a bloop RBI single to Gradoville that scored Schultz, who had doubled.
"We talked about getting off to a good start and playing a complete game," Creighton manager Ed Servais said. "In a lot of ways, we did."Including on the mound, where the Blue Jays' pitchers handcuffed and frustrated SDSU hitters all evening. Creighton held the Jackrabbits without a hit until Geary's hustling bloop double in the bottom of the fourth.
Later in that inning, after a Nick Adams infield single, Geary tried to score on a double steal but was thrown out at the plate.
Creighton lowered its team ERA to 3.53 for the season, a mind-boggling number in the high-scoring, aluminum bat college game."We didn't respond offensively," Christiansen said. "I thought we were a little lackadaisical in the first couple innings, and they really attacked us with the fastball early in the counts.
"We just didn't come out and play like we're capable of playing."SDSU finishes its home schedule today with a doubleheader against Southwest Minnesota State starting at 3 p.m. at Bob Shelden Field in Brookings. The Jacks head to Fargo over the weekend to play four games with NDSU that start an 11-game, season-ending road trip.
"We just have to focus on (today) and our homestand with Southwest State," Geary said.