BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Creighton shortstop Ben North hit a solo home run to lead off the top of the ninth inning to lift the Bluejays to a 6-5 win over Samford in the first game of a three-game series Friday evening at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
With the loss, Samford fell to 13-13 on the season. Creighton improved its mark to 15-6 with the win.
 
"They're 15-6 for a reason," Samford head coach Tony David said. "Honestly, I feel like it's, arguably the best game we've played all year. We were really clean defensively, we threw strikes on the mound for the most part. We got strike outs, we made a bunch of really big plays. Parker got a couple of big ones out of the park for us early and they got theirs late. You just have to tip your cap to them."
 
For Samford in the loss, Parker McDonald went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI. Jake Souders went 2-for-4 with a triple, while Gatlin Pitts also went 2-for-4 for the Bulldogs. Evan Steckmesser (1-1) pitched 3.0 innings in relief, giving up three runs on four hits to take the loss on the mound for Samford.
 
Creighton was led by North, going 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Connor Capece went 2-for-3 with a homer and one RBI. Garrett Langrell (3-0) tossed 2.0 scoreless innings in relief, allowing just two hits to earn the win on the mound for the Bluejays.
 
Samford opened up a 3-0 lead with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. With two outs in the inning, Cade Carr reached base on an error. Souders then singled to center field, moving Carr to second base. McDonald then homered to left field for a three-run Samford lead.
 
Creighton scored one run each in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to knot the score at 3-3. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Samford added two runs to take a 5-3 lead. Souders tripled and then scored on a wild pitch for the first run of the inning. McDonald then hit his second homer of the game for a two-run Samford lead.
 
The Bluejays then scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning to knot the score at 5-5, setting the stage for North's eventual game-winning homer in the top of the ninth inning.
 
The teams will continue their series with a game Saturday afternoon. The first pitch has been moved up to 1 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field due to expected inclement weather in the Birmingham area.
 
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