Xavier Advances to BIG EAST Championship Series with 2-1 Win Over Creighton

Saturday, May 29

Prasco Park

4 PM

Xavier University

27-25

Creighton

24-15

Xavier

Creighton

Photo by: Rooted Creative

Xavier Advances to BIG EAST Championship Series with 2-1 Win Over Creighton

05.29.21 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score Photos

Musketeers will face UConn at 1 PM in fifth championship appearance since joining the BIG EAST

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier baseball advances to the 2021 BIG EAST Championship series on Sunday after taking the 2-1 win over Creighton on Saturday afternoon.

Xavier has advanced to the BIG EAST Championship series in each of the program's five trips to the BIG EAST Tournament, winning the tournament title in 2014, 2016 and 2017 and finishing runners-up in 2019.

Creighton took a one-run lead in the first inning before Ethan Bosacker and Jonathan Kelly combined to keep the Bluejays off the board for the remainder of the game. Xavier scored a pair of runs in the third inning, the only runs the Musketeers would need to seal the win. Bosacker picked up the win after going 7.0 innings in the start. Kelly closed out the final two innings, picking up the save.

Xavier moved to 27-25 and will face No. 1 seeded UConn (32-16) on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. on FS2. If the Musketeers win the first game on Sunday, it will force a second game of the championship series in the double elimination format. The second game, if necessary, is schedule for approximately 4:30 p.m., also on FS2.

UPDATED BRACKET

SCORING RECAP

3RD INNING | Sam Olson walked to lead off the inning, Luke Franzoni was hit by a pitch to put two on, and both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Jack Housinger hit a sac fly to right field to score Olson from third, tying the game at 1-1, and moving Franzoni to third. A balk brought in Franzoni to put the Musketeers in front, 2-1.

XU AT THE PLATE

Jack Housinger drove in the game-tying RBI third inning on a sac fly. He finished 1-4, hitting his 17th double of the season, moving him into a tie for 10th place for most doubles in a single season. Housinger has a 14-game reached safely streak and an eight-game hitting streak.
Luke Franzoni scored the game-winning run on a balk after getting aboard on a hit-by-pitch. Franzoni finished 1-4 at the plate and extended his reached-safely streak to 14 games.
Sam Olson finished with a pair of walks, including a lead-off walk in the third, which turned into the game-tying run.
Tyler DeMartino got aboard twice with a hit (1-3) and a walk.
Alex Helmin, Garrett Schultz and Andrew Walker each had a hit as well.

XU ON THE MOUND

Ethan Bosacker made the start, going 7.0 innings with only one run allowed on five hits. Bosacker struck out six without walking batter, and picked up the win, his fourth of the season.
Jonathan Kelly entered for the eighth, closing out the final 2.0 innings of the game without allowing a run. Kelly struck out four batters and picked up the save, third of the season.

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