SEE YOU ON SUNDAY! Xavier Baseball Advances to Second BIG EAST Championship Game in Three Years

Friday, May 27

7:53 p.m.

Xavier University

No. 2 Creighton

SEE YOU ON SUNDAY! Xavier Baseball Advances to Second BIG EAST Championship Game in Three Years

05.27.16 | Baseball

Box Score

Musketeers plate four in fourth, hang on to topple second-seeded Creighton

By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletics Communication

ABERDEEN, Md. – Dan Rizzie had the big hit again, this time in the fourth inning, as the senior catcher dropped in a three-run double to lead Xavier to an eventual 5-3 win over Creighton on Friday at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium.

With the result, Xavier will play in its second BIG EAST Championship Game in three years. The Musketeers also improve to 29-28 overall and have won 15 times in their last 17 games.

Creighton dropped to 37-16 overall with the loss.

HIGHLIGHTS

B1: ON THE BOARD! @nsoria3 singles through the left side and it's 1-0 Musketeers. #LetsGoX https://t.co/33rVqXLh4U
— Xavier Baseball (@XavierBASE) May 28, 2016

B4: DAN THE MAN! Rizzie drops a three-run double into the left field corner and it's 4-1! #LetsGoX https://t.co/FXsQPsGEnE
— Xavier Baseball (@XavierBASE) May 28, 2016

B4: JOE CLUTCH! Gellenbeck goes up the middle and the two out rally continues. #LetsGoX https://t.co/eot4p4KmCj
— Xavier Baseball (@XavierBASE) May 28, 2016

Dan Rizzie had the big hit again for the Musketeers and joined BEDN's John Fanta after the win. #LetsGoX https://t.co/A8TH9Ieyqo
— Xavier Baseball (@XavierBASE) May 28, 2016

TOURNAMENT NOTES

· Xavier improved to 5-1 in the BIG EAST Championships.
· The Musketeers failed to qualify for the event in 2015, but won the title in 2014 – Xavier's first year in the league.
· After a three-hit day today, junior Matt Fallon leads Xavier in the tourney with a .571 batting average (4-for-7). The center fielder is also tied for the team lead with three runs.
· XU is hitting .347 as a team over its two games.

XU AT THE PLATE

· Xavier put up 10 hits, doing most of its damage in a four-run fourth inning.
· Junior Matt Fallon led the way with a 3-for-4 day, tying a season-high with three hits while scoring a run.
· Junior Joe Gellenbeck also had a multi-hit performance, going 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.
· Rylan Bannon (1-for-4, R), Dan Rizzie (1-for-4, R, 2B, 3 RBI), Andre Jernigan (1-for-3), Nate Soria (1-for-4, RBI) and David Morton (1-for-4, R) also collected hits for Xavier.
· Rizzie has now reached base in 19 straight games.

XU ON THE MOUND

· Trent Astle (5-4) got the ball and tossed 5.2 innings, scattering six hits and getting charged with three earned runs. The junior lefty struck out two.
· Freshman righty Taylor Williams came on in relief in the sixth, notching the final out with a runner on third and cruising through 2.1 scoreless frames.
· Garrett Schilling picked up his 12th save, coming on in the ninth to pitch a clean inning with a strikeout.
· With 12 saves, Schilling is now tied for second in XU single season history with Seth Willoughby (2012). Schilling is just one save behind Jordan Conley's 2009 record.
· Schilling now has the win or save in 10 of Xavier's last 16 games (six saves, four wins).
· With 3.1 scoreless innings tonight, Xavier's relief corps continued an impressive run covering the last 18 games. In that span, XU relievers have tossed 70.2 innings and allowed just 17 earned runs for a 2.18 ERA.

HOW XU SCORED

FIRST INNING: Joe Gellenbeck started a two out rally, reaching on a squibber back to the mound and going to second on a throwing error. Andre Jernigan followed, working a walk as Gellenbeck slid to third on a passed ball. Batting next, Nate Soria singled through the left side to plate Gellenbeck and make it 1-0.
FOURTH INNING: After two straight outs to begin the inning, David Morton kickstarted a rally with a single up the middle. Matt Fallon followed with a single to shortstop and Rylan Bannon walked to load the bases. Dan Rizzie then doubled to the left field corner, bringing around all three and moving to third on the throw to the plate – where Bannon slid in just ahead of the play. Joe Gellenbeck came up next and shot one up the middle to plate Rizzie and make it 5-1.

UP NEXT

· Xavier awaits the winner of No. 2 Creighton and No. 4 St. John's in the BIG EAST Championship Game on Sunday, May 29 at Ripken Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET with a second game to follow, if necessary.