NDSU Takes Down Creighton 13-6! Game Recap:
Logo Courtesy of the North Dakota State University athletics department.
The North Dakota State Bison (9-26, 5-10 Summit League) have won 13-6 against the Creighton Bluejays (25-17, 10-2 Big East) at the one and only Charles Schwab Omaha Field on Tuesday. The Bison offense had itself a day, producing 13 runs off of a season-high 16 hits against the Creighton pitching staff. This is NDSU’s 2nd win at Charles Schwab Omaha Field in program history, and their 5th win against Creighton all-time in 31 meetings.
The Bison were first to get on the board, taking a 4-0 lead in the fourth inning. Four different NDSU batters recorded an RBI in this inning; Tyman Long, Cal Jones, Caleb Corbin, and Dante Smith all drove in one apiece. Corbin in particular laid down a beautiful bunt that travelled down the first base line for an RBI single with one out in the frame. It was in this inning where the Bison were able to chase Creighton starter Max McClellan, exercising quality plate discipline to work McClellan’s pitch count up to 58 by the mid-fourth.
This contest remained close over the next couple innings, the score being 5-4 in favor of NDSU entering the seventh inning. NDSU arms Garrett Shupe and Zak Szabo deserve a special mention for a solid pitching performance on the day, keeping Creighton off the board in their combined four innings of work. Then however, the Bluejays would cut the score to 4-2 via an RBI single and fielder’s choice in the fifth, before Bison CF Dante Smith notched his second RBI of the day on a single to left field in the sixth. Creighton 3B Rocco Gump then drove in a pair with a single of his own in the sixth, and this game would not remain close for long after that.
NDSU regained control of the game with another offensive barrage the very next inning. It was right fielder Tyman Long who doubled again to get the Bison bats humming again, driving in two runs to make the score 8-4. These two doubles made for two of Long’s five career two-baggers, and they certainly came at the proper time in contributing to a big team win. NDSU hung up two more runs in the inning after Long’s double and three in the next to take a commanding 13-4 lead in the bottom of the 8th.
Creighton did score two more runs to cut the deficit, but simply did not have enough left in the tank to mount a comeback. The final score would remain 13-6, and North Dakota St. can put this one in the books. Although the Bison have not had their best season so far, they have been able to show tremendous fortitude and get up as a team for some real high-quality opponents. Some notable wins the Bison have picked up this season in addition to this one include taking down both Vanderbilt and Minnesota on the road during the same two-week stretch in March.
This is quite the impressive win for the Bison; as of the writing of this article, Creighton is 83rd in RPI while NDSU sits at 241st. This marks NDSU’s 2nd win in two years over the Bluejays in Omaha, and both teams face some very important series’ in just a few days. The Bison host South Dakota State in a home rivalry set where they will need to pick up some very important wins to move up in the Summit League standings and make the postseason. The Bluejays will be travelling to Queens (NY), facing off against the Johnnies in a pivotal Big East series. Congratulations to the Bison, and it will be exciting to see how both teams respond to this result going forward.
Final Score: Creighton 4, North Dakota State 13
WP: Garrett Shupe (1-1)
LP: Max McClellan (2-1)
TheRundownPod Player of the Game: NDSU RF Tyman Long (2-5, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R)
