MASON, Ohio – In Thursday’s semifinal game of the 2025 BIG EAST Baseball Championship Presented by Jeep at Prasco Park, No. 1 seed Creighton outlasted No. 3 seed Xavier, 11-8.
 
The Bluejays return to the BIG EAST title game for the fourth time, including their first appearance since 2019, when the Bluejays bested Xavier for the program’s first BIG EAST crown. They will face the winner of Friday’s 5 p.m. ET rubber match between No. 2 seed UConn and No. 3 seed Xavier. The championship game is scheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m. on FS2, with an if necessary contest scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on FS1.
 
The Musketeers were the first to strike in the opening inning, with Clay Burdette collecting an RBI single to send Carter Hendrickson home for a 1-0 lead.
 
Creighton’s bats were hot from the jump, as both Nolan Sailors and Connor Capece collected doubles to score three runs in the bottom of the first. Sailors first hit a shot to center field to send Tate Gillen home, before Capece doubled to right center to have Ben North and Nolan Sailors add to the scoreboard.
 
After a scoreless second inning, Xavier tied the game when Connor Misch singled to left center for a pair of RBI, as Hendrickson and Jake Lambdin crossed the plate.
 
Moments later, Burdette hit his 13^th home run of the season and second in as many days to give the Musketeers a 5-3 advantage heading into the bottom of the third.
 
Teddy Deters got the offense going again with an RBI single through the left side to send Capece home and cut the deficit to one, 5-4.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, Kyle Hess hit a 410-yard bomb to right field to regain the lead for the Bluejays, 6-5, as Deters rounded the bases as well.
 
Creighton added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth with a two RBI double by Will Maclean, scoring North and Matt Scherrman.
 
Not backing down, Xavier added two in the top of the seventh to pull back within one, 8-7, as Hendrickson collected an RBI single before Misch sacrifice flied out to center field to allow Jake Lambdin to cross home plate.
 
The scoring continued into the bottom of the seventh, when Creighton’s Capece singled through left center with the bases loaded, sending Sailors and Scherrman home for a 10-7 advantage.
 
In the next half inning, Xavier’s Aedan Anderson homered to left field on the first at bat of the eighth.
 
Gillen capped things off for the Bluejays with an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, as Deters scored to make it 11-8.
 
Capece led the Bluejay offense with a 4-for-5 hitting performance, including four RBI and a run scored.