Bob Hunt Photographer

Creighton University freshman Bri Lingl was 4-for-7 with three runs batted in, including an eighth-inning home run in the nightcap, leading the visiting Bluejays (11-10, 2-0 MVC) to a doubleheader sweep at Bradley (10-14, 0-2 MVC) in Missouri Valley Conference softball action Saturday afternoon at Laura Bradley Park. With the score tied, 1-1, the Braves had a chance to earn a walk-off win in the second game after center fielder Julie Sherman legged out a 1-out single and took second on a Jackie Roth sacrifice bunt.  Creighton pitched around catcher Bailiegh Basham, who drew five walks in the doubleheader, setting the stage for Madeline Lynch-Crumrine.  The sophomore designated player delivered with a line drive single into left field, but Creighton’s Ellen Homan fielded the ball on one hop and her throw home beat Sherman to force the extra inning. Click here for  Final Stats: Game #1 Box Score, Game #2 Box Score.

-Bob

The No. 23 Creighton Bluejays squandered all but two points of an 18-point lead but held on for an 87-78 Missouri Valley Conference victory in front of 8,771 at Redbird Arena over Illinois State. Doug McDermott led the Bluejays with 20 points, while three of his teammates also finished in double figures.Jackie Carmichael was the only other Redbird to reach double digits with 14. Illinois State shot 46.4 percent (32-69) from the field and 25 percent (8-32) from beyond the arc. Five of ISU’s three-pointers were made by Bryant Allen. Creighton shot 57.1 percent (32-56) from the field and 55.6 percent (10-18) from three-point land. Click here for the final game box score.

-Bob

Players wearing the No. 3 combined for 69 points, but Creighton’s Doug McDermott accounted for 44 of those points, leading the #24 Bluejays (13-2, 3-1 MVC) to a 92-83 win at Bradley (5-11, 0-4 MVC) Saturday night at Carver Arena before 8,610 fans. McDermott’s career-best 44 points were the most ever by a Bradley opponent in the 30-year history of Carver Arena and his 18 field goals (in 23 attempts) equaled the most-ever by a Bradley opponent in any venue.  Bradley senior forward Taylor Brown scored 22 of his team-high 25 points in the second half and was a perfect 5-for-5 from 3-point range. Brown’s efforts paced four Braves in double-figures as Walt Lemon Jr. added 16 points and a career-best eight assists, Dyricus Simms-Edwards chipped in with 14 points and swingman Jake Eastman scored 10 points off the bench. Creighton junior center Gregory Echenique put up a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds and enjoyed a perfect shooting night:  3-for-3 from the field and the 47.7 percent free throw shooter was 6-for-6 from the line. Jahenns Manigat added 13 points for the visitors Bradley veteran broadcaster Dave Snell celebrated his 1,000th game behind the microphone with his debut for the Braves November 30, 1979 at the Great Alaska Shootout. Click here for the boxscore.

-Bob

Creighton’s Andrew Ribeiro took advantage of miscommunication in Bradley’s defense and ripped a laser from 20 yards out in the 35th minute for the game’s only goal, lifting the #4 Bluejays to a 1-0 Missouri Valley Conference victory versus the #23 Braves on a wet and blustery night at Shea Stadium. Creighton (12-2-0, 1-1-0 MVC) earned its first Valley points of the season and moved into a tie with Bradley (9-4-2, 1-2-0 MVC) in the middle of the league standings.  In a matchup of the two teams that have combined for 10 of the last 12 MVC regular-season and postseason tournament championships, Bluejays keeper Brian Holt needed just two saves to earn the shutout and prevent Bradley from earning its third consecutive win against Creighton for the first time in the history of the rivalry.

-Bob

Eureka College sophomore linebacker Jacob Carls intercepted Westminster quarterback Scott Rodgers with 1:08 remaining, one of six Westminster turnovers forced by the Eureka defense, to secure the Red Devils’ 22-18 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference victory over the previously unbeaten Blue Jays in front a capacity Homecoming crowd, Saturday afternoon at McKinzie Field.  The victory moves the Red Devils to 3-1 overall, their best start since 1995. After the first career sack by Eureka (3-1, 3-0 UMAC) sophomore linebacker Frankie Bray forced the Blue Jays into a 3rd-and-20 situation at their own 25-yard line with 1:15 remaining, Eureka junior defensive end Dan Bolsen deflected Rodgers’s pass across the middle high into the air, allowing Carls to swoop in and collect his third career interception as he fell to the ground.  The Eureka offense took a knee twice following the turnover to secure the Red Devils’ third consecutive victory. Sam Durley turned in another big day through the air to lead the Eureka offense, finishing 22-for-36 for 290 yards and three scores. Matt Dawson shared game-high honors with seven receptions, while senior tight end Alex Hess caught six balls for a career-high 90 yards. Wes Schmidgall made six catches for a game-high 96 yards.  Sophomore running back Corey Dawson carried a career-high 24 times for 76 yards. Click here to see more images from the game.

-Bob