Pirates Stave Off Late Rally to Sweep Series at Creighton

Saturday, March 25

Omaha, NE

2 PM

Seton Hall University

14-10, 5-3

Creighton

13-17, 0-5

Seton Hall

Creighton

Pirates Stave Off Late Rally to Sweep Series at Creighton

3/25/2023 7:37:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Game 2 Box Game 3 Box

Omaha, Neb. – Shelby Smith (Friendswood, Texas) dominated in the circle and at the plate in game one of the doubleheader and Sydney Babik (Gilbert, Ariz.) helped thwart a late Bluejay rally in game two as the Pirates completed a three-game sweep at Creighton on Saturday.

Game 1: Seton Hall 8, Creighton 2
How it Happened

The Bluejays mounted an early threat against Smith, loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the first inning. She was able to evade any damage, however, inducing a strikeout and groundout to escape the inning.
Smith continued what proved to be the theme of her outing in the second, escaping yet another situation with multiple runners on base. She was able to strand runners at the corners in the second by forcing a groundout to shortstop.
The Pirates would strike first in the third, as Taylor Hill (Little Falls, N.J.) hit a sacrifice fly to center to score the first run of the day. Next up was Lela Allen (Phoenix, Ariz.), who ripped the first pitch she saw down the right field line to score Ashly Colonnetta (Cypress, Texas) to make it a 2-0 game.
In the fourth, Hannah Alexander (Wrightstown, N.J.) would bring one home after her fly ball to left field was lost in the sun, allowing Lauren Caye (Pittsburgh, Pa.) to cross the plate.
Seton Hall broke the game open in the fifth. With two runners in scoring position, Smith lined one to right field to score a pair and make it a 5-0 game. Two batters later, Alexander knocked home her second run of the game with a single to right center. Colonnetta would then reach on a fielder's choice to allow the fourth run of the frame to score and bring the Pirates' lead up to 7-0.
The Hall entered run rule territory in the sixth after Andrea Perez (Corona, Calif.) singled up the middle to make it an 8-0 lead. However, two Bluejay runs in the bottom of the sixth helped them extend the game to the seventh.
Creighton would go quietly in the seventh, as Smith was able to get her seventh strikeout of the day to seal the win.

Notes & Numbers

After not having a multi-hit game since March 3, Smith now has back-to-back multi-hit outings. Smith has gone 5-for-8 in the series so far after going 6-for-28 at the plate over her previous 13 games.
Alexander had three hits in a game for the first time in her career.
Alexander knocked in multiple runs in a game for the first time since April 24, 2022 against UConn.

Game 2: Seton Hall 6, Creighton 2
How it Happened

After both offenses were held quiet through the first two innings, the Pirate bats awoke in the third for a five-run rally. With two runners in scoring position, Hill singled through the right side to score Marisa Pla (San Clemente, Calif.) with the game's first run. Allen followed that up by reaching on a fielder's choice to make it a 2-0 lead.
After a walk and a lineout, Olivia Gilbert (Johnston, R.I.) kept her hot hitting going with a two-run single to make it a 4-0 game. Perez would then reach on an error which allowed Smith to score the fifth Pirate run of the frame.
Babik got the start in the circle for the Pirates and cruised through the middle innings. At one point, Babik retired 10 batters in a row from the second inning until the fifth inning.
The top of the fifth saw the Pirates strike again, as Alexander built off her strong game one with another RBI to make it a 6-0 game.
Creighton's bats woke up in the later innings, as a two-run home run from Cayla Nielsen in the fifth got the Bluejays on the board.
In the seventh, the Bluejays began to mount a comeback. Three runs crossed the plate, and the tying run stood in scoring position with two outs. On a line drive up the middle that appeared ticketed for center field, Perez dove to her left and made the catch to solidify the victory.

Notes & Numbers

This marks the Pirates' first three-game sweep of a BIG EAST opponent since April 23-24, 2016, when they swept Providence.
Babik pitched a complete game for the first time this season, improving her record to 3-2 on the season.
Gilbert had two more RBI to bring her total for the series to six. She has knocked in 13 runs over her last 10 games.
The Pirates now sit at 6-3 in BIG EAST play and have won seven of their last eight games.

What's Next
Seton Hall has a pair of midweek road games, beginning on Tuesday when it travels to Monmouth for a doubleheader on Tuesday.