INDIANAPOLIS – Butler held a 5-2 lead over Creighton after seven full innings of action at Bulldog Park, but the Bluejays would find the win column in their BIG EAST opener by the final score of 8-7. The two evenly matched teams ended the ninth inning tied up 7-7 after a monster home run from Harrison Freed. The game would end quickly after however as Creighton scored the game-winning run in the 10th.
 
Freed went 3-for-5 from the plate vs. Creighton with four RBI and a run scored. Zach Parker and Kyle Smith were also impact players for the Bulldogs. Parker went 4-for-5 with two doubles and three runs scored. Smith went 3-for-4 at the top of the order with three runs scored and an RBI.
 
Butler limited Creighton in the opening stages of the game behind a solid outing from junior Ryan Pepiot. The right-hander struck out 10 batters over seven full innings. Creighton's two runs vs. Pepiot came off just five hits.
 
Creighton's Mitch Ragan was also impressive for the Bluejays. He exited the game after six full innings. The win would go to closer Bobby Kametas (2-0) and the loss would fall to Kevin Napoleon (1-1).
 
Creighton scored first with a sac fly in the top of the second inning, but the Bulldogs would take a 2-1 lead after the third. Parker led off the inning with a single back up the middle of the diamond and he would score the first BU run of the game off a James Gargano double down the leftfield line.
 
Freed would give Butler the one-run lead with a groundout to short that scored Kyle Smith.
 
The Bulldogs added a third run to their total in the fifth. Parker once again led the charge with a double down the leftfield line to open the inning. He moved to third on a groundout from Zach Jarosz and scored off an RBI by Smith.
 
The seventh inning started the exciting finish with each team scoring runs. Hovey homered for Creighton as the Bluejay lead-off man, but the Bulldogs would answer with two runs after the stretch. Freed singled up the middle to score Parker and Andy Bennett would do the same to send Smith to the dish.
 
BU would make a pitching change to start the eighth inning as Jack Myers entered the game for Pepiot. The Bluejays got to Myers to score four runs off five hits.
 
Creighton would take a 6-5 lead into the ninth inning and that advantage would grow to 7-5 after the top of the frame. Butler sent the contest into extra innings after a two-run bomb from Freed. Head Coach Dave Schrage had a runner on third with two outs, but Kametas came up with a big strikeout to keep the game even.
 
The game-winning run crossed home plate in the top of the 10th inning. Hanafan singled to center and would come around to score during the next at-bat by Collins. The CU lead-off man drove a ball to left centerfield that allowed Hanafan to easily score.
 
The two teams will return to action tomorrow for a Saturday doubleheader. First pitch is slated for 1 PM.