April 19, 2009
Box Score
OMAHA, Neb.- An unearned run in Creighton's half of the eighth inning proved decisive as the UIC baseball team was edged by the Bluejays, 4-3, at the CU Sports Complex on Sunday afternoon.
The Flames fell to 16-17, while the Bluejays improved to 21-17.
Rookie catcher Nathan Orf went 4-for-4 at the plate, hitting his first collegiate homer in the process.
Creighton led 3-2 in the eighth when a throwing error from second allowed a vital insurance run to score after Orf's solo shot in the next half-inning closed the gap.
The UIC pitching trio of Chris Kovacevich, Mike Kool and Derrick Miramontes did its part, combining to allow just three earned runs and elude numerous Creighton scoring threats by keeping 13 Bluejay baserunners stranded.
UIC struck first in the first after Brandon Harwell coaxed a leadoff walk. He was sacrificed to second on Andy Leonard's bunt, and two batters later it was Brett Schaefer's single up the middle that plated Harwell from second.
Creighton answered in the bottom of the third when Jimmy Swift hit a fly ball deep to left that was caught by Jake Carr but allowed Elliott Soto to score the equalizing run from third.
The Flames recaptured the advantage in the fifth when Leonard's drive to left center was snared by a diving Robbie Knight, but Nathan Orf had plenty of time to scoot home on the sacrifice fly.
But after Kool retired the first two batters he faced in the fifth, four consecutive Bluejay hits plated the tying and go-ahead runs. A pair of ground-rule doubles that hopped over the fence in right center sandwiched two singles to produce the two-out damage.
UIC put the tying run just 90 feet away from home in the seventh. Orf led off with a bunt single, and after McGuiggan sacrificed him over to second, Leonard's flyout to right allowed the rookie catcher to move to third. But Jake Carr's deep drive to right against Creighton relief ace Jack VanLeur was corralled by rightfielder T.J. Roemmich to conclude that threat.
Schaefer led off the eighth with his second single of the day before being lifted for pinch runner Ty Rubio. Jason Ganek's slow roller to VanLeur allowed Rubio to move into scoring position, but two consecutive groundouts, including a nice diving stab and throw on Chris Rutta's hard-hit grounder down the third base line by Swift.
With Creighton runners at first and second and one away, Ganek made a great diving stop on Darin Ruf's grounder to the hole at short and throw to second to get the trailing runner. But Garcia's throw to first to get the double play went into the Bluejay dugout, allowing a critical insurance run to come home.
Orf led off the ninth by depositing VanLeur's 2-1 pitch over the right field fence to bring the Flames with one. Two batters later Harwell put the tying run aboard by hitting a single to center. Reliever Bob Lackovic was summoned by Bluejay skipper Ed Servais,
With four Horizon League games in three days on tap next weekend, Kovacevich was on a short leash in his ninth start of the season. The southpaw escaped bases-loaded trouble in both the first and third innings with just one run allowed before giving way to Kool, the Flames' usual third starter, in the fourth after unleashing 70 pitches in a three-inning outing.
UIC returns home to host Northern Illinois at Les Miller Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:35 p.m.
