Creighton Softball Upsets Top-Seeded St. John's in BIG EAST Tourney Quarterfinals, 5-3

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- The fourth-seeded Creighton Softball team overcame an early 3-0 deficit to knock off top-seeded St. John's, 5-3, claiming its 10th consecutive victory in the BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals Presented by JEEP on Thursday afternoon on the Main Line in Villanova, Pa.

The victory advances the Bluejays into Friday’s BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals against the winner of UConn/Providence at 11 a.m. CT, improving to 29-23 on the year, while St. John’s fell to 39-16-1 overall. 

Kaelan Schultz had two RBI to lead the Bluejays, including a game-tying solo homer to open the sixth inning. The Jays would go on to score three times overall in the sixth, including a go-ahead RBI by Erika Perez to score pinch-runner Reese Ramos and a Avery Barnard groundout that plated Ella Dalton with the game's final run.

Dalton ended the game with a highlight-reel catch in center, robbing SJU's London Jarrard of a homer to clinch the victory.

Kenzie Schopfer won her ninth straight decision to improve to 9-6 on the season, authoring her second complete game in as many days.  Schopfer has not walked a batter in any of her 17 innings over three starts this year against the Red Storm. Potter, meanwhile, tied a Creighton BIG EAST Tournament record, going 3-for-4, while Sydra Seville collected her 76th hit of the season, tying Creighton's single season hits record, set by Bluejay Hall of Famer Christy Lunceford in 1997. 
 
St. John’s stormed out of the gates, using an RBI single Anese Thompson, an RBI ground from All-BIG EAST First Team selection Ana Serafinko and an RBI single deep off the left center field wall from Cassidy Stouffer to take a 3-0 lead in the first inning.
 
Creighton countered with two runs in the top of the third as Sophomore Lynn Davis opened the frame with a walk, before senior Sydra Seville slapped a single into left to tie Creighton’s single season hits record with her 76th hit of the season. Davis and Seville advanced to second and third on a sacrifice bunt from Ashten Pierson, before coming in to score on an RBI groundout from Lily West and the sixth double of the season from Kaelan Schultz to cut the deficit to 3-2.
 
Trailing 3-2 and down to their final six outs, the Bluejays offense erupted for three runs in the top of the sixth to take a 5-3 lead. Schultz, a First Team All-BIG EAST selection, led off the frame with her 13th home run of the season, knotting things up at 3-3. Sydney Potter followed with a single up the middle and Ella Dalton reached on a St. John’s throwing error to put runners on the corners. Junior Erika Perez then lined a go-ahead RBI single up to middle to put Creighton out in front 4-3. Hannah Poole advanced the runners to second and third on a sacrifice bunt, before Avery Barnard delivered an RBI fielder’s choice to give the Jays a 5-3 advantage.

Creighton (29-23) will next play on Friday at 11 a.m. Central against the winner of Game 5 (UConn vs. Providence). The win was Creighton's 10th in a row, its longest win streak since 2014.