Omaha, Neb. — Limited to just three hits in the opening six innings, Creighton Baseball fell to Portland 4-3 on Sunday, March 8th.
The loss moved Creighton to 5-8 on the season, while Portlands record elevated to 12-4 overall.
The Bluejays took an early lead with a run in the first inning as junior Will Hanafan punched a leadoff single up the middle to lead off the bottom of the first. Off on a hit-and-run, Hanafan motored to third as sophomore Andrew Meggs was retired on a ground ball to the right side. Junior Daivd Vilches followed with an RBI ground ball to short to give Creighton a 1-0 edge.
Portland answered in the third via a solo home run from Dutton Elske, then took a 2-1 advantage in the fourth with a manufactured run. The Pilots got a lead off walk from Henry Chaney, a sacrifice to move him into scoring position and a two-out RBI single by Sean Mulcare.
The Pilot lead grew to 4-1 in the fifth, courtesy of back-to-back RBI singles by Tracye Tammaro and Chaney.
The Bluejay offense began to stir in the seventh with a pair of two-out singles by senior Ryan Mantle and junior Nick Gile.
Creighton drew closer in the eighth as junior catcher Garrett Gilbert found the seats with one swing taking the ball out to left.
Down 4-2 in the ninth the Bluejays got a lead off walk from senior Parker Upton, then Vilches reached on an error. The Bluejays designated hitter, however, was cut down trying to advance to second. On the play Upton took third and scored moments later via a wild pitch.
Creighton was unable to push across the tying run, as Bluejay starter Tommy Steier took the loss (0-1), allowing four runs on six hits in 4.1 innings.
Portland reliever Peter Allegro picked up the win (1-0) with 2.2 innings of one-run ball, while Connor Knutson collected his fourth save of the season allowing an unearned run over the final two frames.
Gile led Creightons offense, going 2-for-4 in the contest.
A quick turnaround takes the Bluejays to Minnesota for a two-game midweek set against the Golden Gophers on Tuesday and Wednesday. First pitch for the opening game is scheduled for 6:00 pm at U.S. Bank Stadium.
