Creighton Softball Drops Midweek Contest at Omaha

OMAHA, Neb. – Playing in front of a sold-out crowd of 1,006, the Creighton softball team dropped a 12-2 decision to crosstown rival Omaha on Tuesday night at Connie Claussen Field. 

The loss drops the Bluejays to 19-23 on the year, while the Mavericks picked up their 12th consecutive win and improved to 34-9 overall. 

The Bluejays soared out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Sophomore Ashten Pierson was hit by a pitch and stole second before coming around to score on an RBI single from classmate Kaelan Schultz. 

Omaha countered with a run of their own in the bottom half of the frame to level things up at 1-1. A leadoff double into the sunny from Maggie O'Brien got the Mavericks started, while a hit by pitch to Rylin Groff put runners on first and second with no outs. O'Brien would then advance to third on a fly out to right before coming in to score on a fielder's choice to short from Katherine Johnson to knot things up at 1-1. 

Creighton would regain the lead in the top of the second as junior Ella Dalton laced an RBI double off the right center field wall to give the Jays a 2-1 lead. 

The Mavericks, however, answered with four runs in the home half of the frame to take a 5-2 advantage. Marra Cramer opened the inning with a double to right and came in to score on a Bluejay throwing error to tie the game at 2-2. An RBI single down the right field line from Rylee White put the Mavericks out in front before a two-run double from Sydney Thomason extended the lead to 5-2. 

Omaha's lead grew in the home half of the third, as the Mavericks loaded the bases on a walk to Aly Edwards, a single from White and a hit by pitch from O'Brien. Following a Bluejay pitching change, Groff drew a bases loaded RBI walk to push the lead out to 6-2, before Thomason blasted a grand slam out to left to give the Mavericks a 10-2 lead.  

Omaha would add two additional runs in the fourth on an RBI single from White and a sacrifice fly from O'Brien to capture the 12-2 run-rule victory. 

Dalton and Schultz collected the Bluejays only two hits of the contest, while sophomore Brooke Shifflett (6-7) suffered her seventh loss of the year, allowing eight runs, seven earned, on six hits and two walks in 2.1 innings of work. 

Omaha on the other hand recorded eight hits, led by White with three hits and two RBI. Thomason added in two hits of her own and recorded a season-high six RBI. Grace Hornbuckle earned the win in the circle, allowing two runs on two hits in a complete-game effort. 

Creighton returns to the diamond on Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. when they begin a three-game series against DePaul in the Windy City of Chicago, Ill.