OMAHA, NE ? The Indiana State Sycamores fell victim to late game heroics for the eighth time this season as the Creighton Bluejays pushed over a run in the bottom of the 12th inning to edge the Sycamores 6-5 Friday night.
Indiana State falls to 14-30 overall and 6-13 in the Missouri Valley Conference with the loss. The Sycamores and Bluejays (31-17 overall and 14-8 in the MVC) will play again at 3 p.m. (ET). The final game of the series will be played at 2 p.m. (ET) Sunday.
Creighton's Lam walked to open the 12th inning for the Bluejays and Knight was out on a sacrifice bunt that moved Lam to second. Soto struck out swinging for the second out but then Ruff walked. That brought up Winkelman who hit a walk-off single to right center that scored Lam with the winning run.
The Sycamores got off to a good start as Ryan Strausborger opened the game with a lead-off triple to right center, scoring the first run when Chris Schmidt grounded out to second. ISU got another run after Brady Shoemaker reached on an error and scored on a Nick Ciolli double to left center.
Creighton reached ISU starter Michael Manus early to score twice in the bottom of the first. Knight led off with a single and scored on a triple by Soto. Ruf followed with a single to center to score Soto and tie the game at 2-all.
Servais put the Bluejays up 3-2 after opening the second with a double, going to third on a wild pitch and scoring on a Mieras single to right.
But Indiana State came right back with a run of their own in the top of the third to tie the game at 3-all. Strausborger led off with a single, going to second on a wild pitch and then to third on a Pascual Del Real sacrifice bunt. After Schmidt reached on an infield single, Strausborger was able to score the tying run when Shoemaker grounded out to third.
The Sycamores threatened in the fifth with runners at the corners and just one out. Strausborger was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, went to second on a Del Real sacrifice bunt and to third as Schmidt singled to right. However, Shoemaker popped up to second and Ciolli flew out to left to end the ISU threat.
Creighton went back on top in the seventh as Servais led off with a single, moved to second on Mieras' sacrifice bunt, to third on a wild pitch and scored when Lam grounded out to short.
Dooley took over for the Bluejay's starter Hauer in the top of the eighth and the Sycamores found the move to their liking. Dooley lasted for just three batters, giving up a walk to Shoemaker, striking out Ciolli and then giving up a single to David Brumagin.
Venditte then came on and Brian Jett greeted him with a single to right that scored Shoemaker with the tying run and send Brumagin around to third. Sean Osborne's attempted sacrifice bunt was misplayed by the Creighton pitcher, allowing Osborne to reach first and Brumagin to score, putting ISU on top 5-4.
The Bluejays came back to tie the game at 5-all in the bottom of the eighth off of ISU reliever Gurbach, who had taken over for Manus with two outs in the seventh. Ruf was hit by a Gurbach pitch with one out, going to second as the ISU pitcher was called for a balk. Ruf scored on an RBI single to left center by Nordgren.
Creighton threatened in the ninth but after giving up a lead off single to Servais, Gurbach was able to retire the next three batters to end the threat.
Neither team threatened again until the 12th inning. Schmidt hit a one out single to left and stole second, putting the ISU centerfielder in position to score the go-ahead run. After Gary King flew out to center, Ciolli was intentionally walked and then put out at second as Brumagin hit into a fielder's choice.
That set up the bottom half of the 12th and another heart-breaking loss for the Sycamores.
Schmidt had three singles and a stolen base to lead the Sycamore offense while Strausborger had a triple and a single, Ciolli and Osborne each had a double, and Del Real, Brumagin and Jett had a single each.
Gurbach suffered his first loss of the season in falling to 2-1 on the year.
