OMAHA, Neb. - Omaha sophomore
Maddia Groff continued her dominant pitching, allowing just one base runner over a combined 5 1/3 innings en route to a 3-2 win at Creighton University. An early two-run home run by
Katherine Johnson and an unearned run gave the Mavericks all the offense they needed.
Groff put down the first seven she faced to extend her stretch of perfection to 38 consecutive batters retired over four games. Bluejays third baseman Kenzie Nakasawa homered in the third to stop the run. Groff retired 14 of 15 batters faced as a starter (15 of 16 for the game), striking out nine before giving way to former Bluejays pitcher
Alexis Wiggins with two outs in the fifth. But when Creighton threatened in the seventh, Groff returned to the circle to replace Wiggins with one on board and one out.
Groff - closing out her own win - coaxed a 4-6-3 double play to end the game. It's Omaha's (23-9) first win over Creighton (12-19) at CU Sports Complex since 4/29/2022. The two teams are scheduled to meet at Omaha's
Connie Claussen Field, Tuesday April 22 at 6:00 p.m. CT. The teams have split the home and home series each of the last two seasons.
Omaha's Johnson drove in the game's first runs in the second. After
Sammy Schmidt drew a two-out walk, Johnson drilled her third home run of the season to dead center field, her second home run in as many games.
Omaha extended the lead in the third. After
Maggie O'Brien walked with one out, Creighton misplayed a
Rylinn Groff single, leaving the Mavericks catcher at third and Omaha on top 3-0.
Creighton greeted Wiggins rudely in the fifth. After a two-out double by Hannah Poole, Nakasawa singled to center. Omaha appeared to have the runner out at home trying to score, but a video review ruled catcher
Rylinn Groff obstructed the plate, cutting Omaha's lead to 3-2. With two runners in scoring position, third baseman
Sydney Thomason turned in a nifty backhanded stop and throw to first to end the inning. Omaha boasts the Summit League's top defensive team.
The Summit League's leader in wins (14-4), strikeouts (146), ERA (1.70) and shutouts (4), Groff was named Kwik Star Summit League Softball Peak Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season on Monday after earning two wins over the weekend over visiting North Dakota. The first win came in a combination perfect game Saturday, followed by a 7-inning complete game Sunday.
Up next, Omaha travels for three games at both North Dakota State and Kansas City before returning to
Connie Claussen Field April 18-20 for a three-game Summit League series against South Dakota. Links to live statistics and streaming video can be found on the softball
schedule page at OMavs.com.
Season tickets for home games at
Connie Claussen Field are on-sale now at
OMavs.com/Tix.
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