Washington Earns 2-1 Win Over Creighton in 11 Innings

<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Lincoln?Facing a 1-0 deficit in the bottom of the 11th inning, top-seeded Washington staged a two-out rally to defeat Creighton, 2-1, in Game 2 of the NCAA softball regional at Bowlin Stadium Friday evening. The win sets up a UW matchup with Nebraska Saturday at 1 p.m.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

Bluejays’ catcher Christine Fukumoto broke a scoreless tie with an RBI single in the top of the 11th inning before Washington came storming back in the bottom frame.

 

With one out, catcher Kristen Rivera was hit by a pitch from CU pitcher Tammy Nielsen to begin the Husky rally. After third baseman Kathy Fiske fouled out, centerfielder Aimee Minor and first baseman Sarah Hyatt delivered back-to-back singles to score Rivera with the game’s tying run. The following batter, designated player Caitlin Noble, knocked in the walk-off run with her first hit in five plate appearances.

 

Huskies’ pitcher Ashley Boek set a career high with 18 strikeouts and allowed only three hits through 10 innings before CU finally got to the senior in the final inning.

 

Bluejays’ second baseman Lauren Flores drew a leadoff walk before centerfielder Melanie Dorsey sacrificed her to second base. Fukumoto followed by smacking a 3-2 pitch just under the glove of a diving Ashley Charters at shortstop to score Flores with the go-ahead run. Boek responded by striking out the next two batters.

 

Nielsen was CU’s star of the game, as she limited the powerful Washington lineup to only five hits, while striking out 10 hitters in her 12th double-digit strikeout performance of the season. She carried a no-hitter through five innings before UW second baseman Dominique Lastrapes doubled to lead off the bottom of the sixth.

 

With the loss, Creighton falls to the loser’s bracket and will face Iowa in an elimination contest at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

 

Creighton notes: Creighton’s Tammy Nielsen made her 36th start of the season inside the circle, breaking a tie from her 2004 season ...Nielsen became the first player in Missouri Valley Conference to record 900 career strikeouts when she whiffed All-American Kristen Rivera in the bottom of the first frame. She now has 908 punchouts ...Melanie Dorsey’s third-inning stolen base was her 24th of the season, tying her for fourth in CU single-season history ...Washington first base coach Robert Wagner was ejected following the bottom of the seventh inning for arguing a disputed hit-by-pitch call from earlier in that frame ...Creighton fell to 6-2 in extra-inning contests, while Washington improved to 3-0 in those games ...Melanie Dorsey’s single to lead off the ninth inning was her 70th hit of the season. She is the second player in CU history with two campaigns of 70 or more hits, joining Heidi Geier ...It was the longest game of the year for both teams, and the longest game in postseason history for both schools as well ...Washington pitcher Ashley Boek struck out a career-high 18 batters. Her previous career best was 12. The 18 K’s tied the Washington school record, done previously by Jennifer Spediaccci vs. Oregon State on May 13, 2000  ... The longest outing of Tammy Nielsen’s career had been nine innings, done four times previously ...This was Nielsen’s 12th game of the season with 10 strikeouts or more.

Washington notes: It was the longest game of the year for both teams, and the longest game in Washington’s postseason history ...Washington pitcher Ashley Boek struck out a career-high 18 batters. Her previous career best was 12. The 18 K’s were also the most in postseason history by a Washington hurler.