Creighton loses two on the road

CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Creighton baseball team dropped both games of a doubleheader at Southern Illinois on Saturday, falling 4-0 in game one before dropping game two 7-6. Creighton falls to 15-19 overall, 2-9 in MVC play.

In game one, Ty Blach put together his best performance in Missouri Valley Conference play this season, finishing with 7.1 innings of work, tying a season-high with nine strikeouts while allowing three earned runs.

The game started as a pitcher's duel, with both Blach and SIU's No. 1 Cody Forsythe putting up scoreless frames through the first four innings. After allowing a leadoff single to right field to start the game, Blach retired 11 of the next 12 batters, allowing just a two-out walk in the third inning. Blach also picked up a pair of strikeouts through four.

While the Bluejays put a runner on base in each of the first four innings, Forsythe was just as dominant on the mound, surrendering three hits through the first four innings, but not allowing a single runner past second base.

A hiccup in the fifth inning gave SIU a pair of runs, their first two of the game. A leadoff walk surrendered to Jordan Sivertsen was followed by an error on an attempted sacrifice putting runners on first and second. The pair both moved into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt before a wild pitch on a strikeout pushed across the first run of the game. A single through the right side put SIU up 2-0.

A solo home run off the bat of Brian Bajer in the seventh and a single run in the bottom of the eighth off Bluejay reliever Andrew Urban gave the Salukis a pair of insurance runs.

Anthony Bemboom's one-out double in the top of the ninth appeared like it would give the Bluejays a rally to end the game, but a pair of fly balls ended the frame, stranding the sixth runner of the game for Creighton.

Creighton was outhit 6-5 in game one, with five different Bluejays picking up a single hit each.

The Salukis got on the board first in game two as well, putting up a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning. After a strikeout to open the frame, Erik Mattingly surrendered a walk that was followed with a triple from Brock Harding, scoring Jordan Sivertsen. A passed ball then allowed Harding to score, giving SIU the 2-0 lead.

Creighton answered in the top of the third, taking their first lead on their first runs of the weekend. With one out, Jordan Makovicka walked and scored on a Chance Ross double to left center. A Brennan Murphy walk put a pair of runners on base, both scoring on a Bemboom single to center field. Creighton led 3-2 after three.

After a scoreless fourth, Ross singled to left field to lead off the fifth inning. An errant throw on a Murphy bunt single allowed Ross to score, followed by Murphy scoring on a wild pitch. Creighton went up 5-2.

The lead wouldn't last long, however, as SIU put up a three spot on one hit, taking advantage of two walks and a hit batter to even the game, 5-5.

A Jordan Makovicka double to lead off the Creighton 7th would end up giving Creighton its final lead of the game. Makovicka was pushed across thanks to a sacrifice bunt and fielder's choice, putting Creighton up 6-5 after six and a half innings complete.

SIU scored the final two runs of the game, a single tally in the eighth inning and the game-winning run on a walk-off hit by Jake Welch that put SIU up 7-6.

The two teams will play the final game of the series tomorrow afternoon, with first pitch from Abe Martin Field set for 1:00 pm. The Bluejays will look to avoid their first sweep against the Salukis since 1998, when the two teams played a four-game series in Carbondale.

NOTES: Cody Forsythe threw his first complete game of the season, allowing five hits and striking out five Bluejays in the game Â… The Creighton batters flew into a season-high 18 outs in game one, including seven on the infield Â… Anthony Bemboom's one-out double in the ninth inning marked the lone extra base hit of the game for Creighton Â… Alex Staehely's 13-game reaching base safely streak came to an end in game one when he was held hitless Â… Jordan Makovicka made his first start of the 2012 season in game two, starting in left field and hitting in the nine hole Â… He finished game two with one hit and two runs scored Â… Mattingly pitched ahead for the first time in any of his starts this season, when Creighton went ahead in the third inning Â… Creighton out-hit SIU 10-7 in game two, led by Chance Ross' three hits. Brennan Murphy and Anthony Bemboom each added a pair of hits for the Jays.

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