Tim Clubb threw 7.2 innings of relief and struck out a career-high eight Creighton hitters to lead the Bears to a 4-3 Missouri Valley Conference win over the Bluejays in the regular season finale for both teams Saturday afternoon at the CU Sports Complex in Omaha.
Missouri State closes the regular season schedule at 22-32 overall and 7-17 in the Valley. Creighton finishes at 40-13 and 19-5 in conference action with just its second loss in the last 23 games.
Clubb entered the game with the bases loaded and one out in the second inning and proceeded to sit down all but four of the 26 batters he faced while improving to 6-3 on the season. He allowed three hits, a walk and a run with eight strikeouts.
The Bears jumped up early with three runs in the first. Ben Woodbury and Tanner Mattson each singled to put runners on the corners with no outs and Brayden Drake drew a one-out walk to load the bases. Josh Mazzola grounded a ball to shortstop but the Jays were unable to turn two and end the inning as Mazzola reached first safely and Woodbury scored the Bears’ first run. Matt Lawson then smashed a ball to third that Steve Winkelmann failed to field cleanly and Mattson scored from third. Shane Elenz added an RBI single through the left side as the Bears sent eight men to plate in the first.
It took Creighton just four batters to answer and the Jays put two on the board in the bottom of the first. Darin Ruf poked an RBI single to right and Andrew Small lifted a sacrifice fly to the warning track in left.
The first four Bears reached in the second to load the bases with no outs after an RBI single by Mattson that scored Ryan Mantle, but Drake struck out while being hit by the same pitch for the first out and the Jays turned a double play to end the frame trailing just 4-2.
Creighton loaded the bases with one out in the second to knock Jake Shafer out of the game, but Ross Sinclair lifted a fly ball into foul territory that was caught by Nolan Keane who then fired the ball home to beat a tagging Chad Ogden for the double play.
CU pulled to 4-3 in the third when Winkelmann hit a towering pop fly to left that none of the three chasing Bear defenders could haul in before it landed for an RBI triple.
After the third, the game remained scoreless thanks to terrific relief by both bullpens. CU’s ambidextrous reliever Pat Venditte sat down the first nine batters he faced before Woodbury led off the ninth with a single. Venditte threw four scoreless to extend his shutout streak to 32.2 innings.
Creighton starter Ben Mancuso (9-2) was handed his second loss of the year.
Missouri State begins Missouri Valley Conference Tournament play at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Springfield. The Bears enter the six-team tournament as the sixth seed and will face No. 1 Wichita State.
