May 22, 2010

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Despite leading through the majority of the game, the Creighton softball team suffered its fourth-straight walk-off loss in the NCAA Tournament as DePaul rallied to top the Bluejays in nine innings in game four of the NCAA Softball Columbia Regional on Saturday (May 22) at University Field. Brittney Yniguez knocked in Lynsey Ciezki on a bases-loaded fielder's choice in the bottom of the ninth inning to end the game. DePaul scored the game's first run in the first inning and then added one in the seventh and one in the ninth to earn the win. Creighton finishes the season with a 37-23 record while DePaul improves to 39-17 on the year.

Bree Brown earned the win for DePaul as she threw four scoreless innings while striking out six of 14 batters faced. She also allowed just one hit in that span as she improved her record to 17-5 on the season. Creighton's Tara Oltman suffered the loss despite pitching all nine innings and throwing 156 pitches. In the two games that Creighton played in the regional, Oltman carried leads into the final inning of action but allowed the opposition to come back and win both games in walk-off fashion. She threw 290 pitches in the two games and only allowed six earned runs in 14.1 innings of work. Oltman finishes 2010 with a 32-14 mark. After winning 108 of 109 games when trailing after six innings, Creighton lost two contests this weekend when leading after the sixth.

DePaul struck first in the game as Oltman allowed the first two batters of the game to reach base after she hit DePaul leadoff hitter Tara Voss and allowed bunt single to Alex Morocco, which advanced Voss to second. DePaul continued to play small ball, using a double steal to advance both runners into scoring position. Then a sacrifice bunt from Brittney Yniguez plated Voss to give DePaul the early, 1-0, advantage.

DePaul threatened again in the bottom of the third inning after a bunt single from Voss and an error from Creighton shortstop Liz McKewon put a pair of DePaul runners on with just one out. But Oltman induced a pair of outs from the DePaul three and four hitters to end the threat and leave a pair of base runners stranded.

Creighton rallied in the top of the fourth inning after three straight hits plated Kari Sakamoto, who was pinch running for Lauren Larson who had reached base on a single to left field. Sakamoto was knocked in on a hard hit ball by McKewon that scorched down the third base line, moving her season RBI total to five. After DePaul starter Becca Heteniak struck out Christa Ruf for the second out of the frame, Jessi Jadlowski came to the plate with two runners on. Hitting just .198 with only eight RBI on the season, Jadlowski knocked a seeing-eye single through the middle of the infield to plate Sara Sara Loeffelholz, giving Creighton a 2-1 lead.

Both teams threatened to put more runs on the scoreboard in the fifth inning, but both teams stranded a pair of runners as the score remained 2-1 after five. Oltman continued her fine pitching throughout the game, limiting DePaul to just three hits through the first six innings of action and walked just one batter in that span. She faced 24 batters before the final frame and only three had reached base, two of which came in the first inning.

Creighton came up empty in its part of the seventh inning, but it carried at 2-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning. Oltman went back to the circle in the bottom of the seventh to try and wrap up the complete game. DePaul's Shea Warren led off the inning with a bunt single down the third base line to put the tying run on base. Oltman came back and struck out Sean Plese to record the first out of the inning. A single to left field from Ciezki put two runners on with just one out, extending the inning to Voss with the winning run on base.

Voss ripped a single to right field that plated Warren to tie the score at two. Voss advanced to second on the throw home, putting runners on second and third with one out. Oltman then walked DePaul's Alex Morocco intentionally to load the bases, setting up a force out at home. That brought in Becca Heteniak, who had started the game for DePaul but had since shifted over to first base. She grounded into a fielder's choice for the second out of the inning, bringing in Yniguez with a chance to win the game, but she popped up to short to end the threat and send the game into extra innings.

After a scoreless eighth inning and top of the ninth, DePaul's Ciezki singled on an infield hit to second base and was advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Voss. Morocco then notched another infield single to advance Ciezki to third. Oltman then walked Heteniak to intentionally to load the bases, once again setting up a force out at home and bringing Yniguez to the plate. But this time, Yniguez hit a fielder's choice to second base and the throw to the plate was late, allowing Ciezki to score and win the game for DePaul.

DePaul will now play Illinois for a spot in tomorrow's championships game. The game will begin at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday (May 22).