Creighton University’s softball team defeated Providence 7-5 on March 13 in its first game at the newly constructed Creighton Softball Stadium, marking head coach Krista Wood’s 100th victory at the school.
The win brings Creighton’s record to 12-14 overall and a perfect 4-0 in BIG EAST conference play. Providence fell to 6-11 overall and started league action with a loss. The game was notable for a strong comeback by the Bluejays after falling behind early.
Bluejay starting pitcher Ava Drehs struggled in the opening inning, loading the bases with two walks and a hit batter. Providence capitalized when Brianna De La Fuente hit a bases-clearing double, giving the Friars an early 3-0 lead. After a scoreless second inning, Creighton’s offense responded with a decisive seven-run third inning. Ashten Pierson began the rally with a walk, followed by an RBI triple from Avery Barnard. Zoey Greenwood drew another walk, setting up Lily West for an RBI single that narrowed the gap to one run.
The Bluejays loaded the bases again before Tara Vandewater delivered a two-run single to put Creighton ahead. Keegan Mayhue added a sacrifice fly, and Erika Perez hit her fourth home run of the season—the first ever at the new stadium—extending Creighton’s lead to 7-3.
Providence attempted to mount a comeback with runs in the fifth and seventh innings, including a solo home run by Julia Renny. However, Brooklyn Patchen secured her first save of the season to preserve Creighton’s win. Freshman Audrey Gilman earned her sixth win of the year after pitching over four innings and allowing just one unearned run on three hits.
West and Barnard led Creighton offensively with two hits each as part of their seven-hit performance. The teams are scheduled to complete their three-game series on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
