Baseball loses to Creighton, 5-1

Wednesday, May 20

Wichita, Kan.

11:00 A.M.

Southern Illinois University

23-27

Creighton

29-24

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Southern Illinois	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	5	1
Creighton	0	0	0	0	2	3	0	0	X	5	7	0

05/20/2009 | 12:00:00 | Baseball

Box Score

May 20, 2009

Box Score

By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com

WICHITA, Kan. - Left-hander Jeremy Hauer went the distance and allowed only one run on five hits to lead Creighton University (29-24) to a 5-1 win over Southern Illinois (23-27) in the first round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Wednesday.

Hauer (2-6), a soft-tossing lefty out of Sherrard, Ill., twirled a shutout through 8.1 innings before Michael Stalter drove in SIU's only run on a sacrifice fly in the ninth. Hauer also struck out five, walked four and forced the Salukis to hit into a season-high four double plays.

"The most frustrating thing was that our hitters didn't adjust," said SIU associate head coach Ken Henderson. "We had opportunities early in the game where we needed to just stay back and hit the ball where it was pitched and didn't do that. Our pitching and defense was good enough to keep us in the game, but we didn't execute offensively."

Right-hander Adam Curynski gave SIU a strong start, allowing two hits in his first four innings, but CU got to him in the fifth.

Jimmy Swift ripped a one-out single to right and went to second on a sacrifice-bunt by Ian Dike. Robbie Knight walked and Elliott Soto followed with a single. Darin Ruf then grounded to short, but Scott Elmendorf mishandled Stalter's throw at second base. As a result, Swift and Knight scored on the play -- ruled a fielder's choice and error -- to give the Bluejays a 2-0 lead.

CU added three more runs with one out in the sixth.

Nick Becker hit a line drive off Curynski's right bicep to ignite the rally. Curynski, who appeared to be shaken up on the play, remained in the game. Becker moved to third on Carson Vitale's double down the left field line and scored on an ensuing base hit by Swift. Dike came to the plate next and was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

"My arm was tingling a bit between pitches," Curynski said after he was hit by Becker's line drive. "I was spotting up fastballs and left the ball over the middle of the plate, and they tagged it."

Immediately after Curynski exited the game, right-hander David Kington plunked Knight on his first pitch and Vitale scored. Swift later touched home on Elliott Soto's sacrifice fly to extend CU's lead to 5-0.

SIU had its best chances to score in the first and fourth innings. The Salukis had runners on first and third with one out when Stalter hit into a double play to end the third. SIU then had the bases loaded with two outs in the fourth when Tyler Bullock grounded out to second.

Curynski (2-5) gave up five runs and seven hits in 5.1 innings. He also walked two and threw 88 pitches on the day.

Hauer threw a total of 125 pitches in his first complete game of the season.

Offensively, CU had seven hits, with Swift (2) and Cafaro (2) combining for four.

Elmendorf and Aaron Roberts each had two hits to lead SIU.

The Bluejays, who ended a six-game losing streak, polished off a perfect 4-0 record against the Salukis this year.

SIU will take on top-seeded Missouri State on Thursday at 11 a.m., CT. Left-hander Jimmy Cornell (2-1, 2.83 ERA) will start on the mound for the Dawgs.