Softball Teams Falls to Creighton in Home Doubleheader

March 10, 2007

Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

GREELEY, Colo. - The University of Northern Colorado softball team dropped a pair of home games to Creighton University Saturday at the Butler-Hancock Softball Field, falling to the Bluejays 5-4 and 9-1.

In the opener, the Bluejays (10-4) jumped out to a quick lead after Bailey Dawson hit a three-run homer in the first off Bears' (3-20) starter Katelyn Landorf.

After the first, Landorf (0-2) settled down and pitched four shutout innings.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Bears got on the board and then tied the game with a three-run inning. With two outs and no runners on, Laura Christianson started things off with a triple to right center field, and pinch hitter Cassandra Avila followed with a clutch RBI single up the middle. Avila then swiped second before scoring on a Casey Hogue RBI single. Hogue took third on an error by Creighton's first baseman. Kelsey Dumler then drove home Hogue with a single through the left side of the infield to cap the inning.

Creighton took the lead again with two more runs in the top of the sixth, prompting Hillarie Van Otterloo to come in for Landorf.

The Bears got back to within a run in the bottom of the sixth when Ashley Geist drove a one-out single back up the middle before being replaced by pinch runner Jessica Schoepflin, who promptly stole second. One out later, Christianson put a well-placed shot down the left field line, scoring Schoepflin.

Northern Colorado put the tying run on third in the seventh before a strikeout ended the game.

Hogue led the Bears with a 3-for-4 performance, while Laura Christianson went 2-for-3.

Van Otterloo earned the start in the second game, and made her presence felt first with her bat, cranking an opposite field home run to lead off the bottom of the first.

The Bluejays responded with three runs over the next two innings to take a 3-1 lead.

In the top of the fifth Creighton put the game away, scoring six runs off Van Otterloo (2-8) and Shea Carpenter, who entered to face the sixth batter of the inning. The Bluejays sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning.

The Bears were unable to score in the bottom of the fifth, ending the game.

Addie Yestness and Christianson also had hits in the second game.