First-Year Bluejay Shines in Creighton Softball Opening Day Sweep
Tara Vandewater was expected to make an impact at Creighton this season after transferring in from Oklahoma State and on Friday, she propelled the Bluejays to an opening day sweep at the Bearkat Classic in Huntsville, Texas.
The Bluejays opened the season with a pair of victories, beating Central Arkansas 5-4 and downing Sam Houston 7-1.
In the opener, Vandewater drove in a career-high four runs and became the first Bluejay to homer in her Creighton debut since Sara Loeffelholz in 2009. She finished the day 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, two runs scored and five RBIs.
Before arriving in Omaha, the sophomore was used primarily as a pinch runner during her freshman campaign with the Cowgirls. She appeared in 31 games and only had two hits in six at-bats. Outside of the 11 runs she scored last year, everything Vandewater does this year will be a new career-best.
Creighton Holds Off Fierce UCA Comeback
The Bluejays took a 5-0 lead into the seventh inning of the season opener against Central Arkansas but the Sugar Bears scored four on four hits to make things interesting.
Junior Brooklyn Patchen got the nod in the circle and cruised through the first 5.1 innings, before giving way to sophomore Gracie Maloney.
Game Won ✅#GoJays pic.twitter.com/AjbFbtBtxe
— Creighton Softball (@BluejaySoftball) February 6, 2026
Maloney, a North Texas transfer, was charged with all four UCA runs. Her day ended after 1.0 inning, three hits, four earned runs, one walk and one strikeout.
Patchen struck out six and walked six while allowing only three hits in 6.0 innings of work.
Kaelan Schultz and Ella Dalton each recorded a hit, in addition to Vandewater's home run.
Late Rally Lifts Creighton Over Sam Houston
The Bluejays struggled at the plate against the host Sam Houston Bearkats but a big sixth innings lifted Creighton to a 2-0 start to the season.
Sam Houston scored its lone run in the third running and then Creighton put seven runs in the sixth to capture the win.
TWO WINS. ONE DAY. #GoJays pic.twitter.com/4xr6F3CK7l
— Creighton Softball (@BluejaySoftball) February 7, 2026
Five Bluejays combined for eight hits, with Lily West, Avery Barnard, and Vandewater each collecting two. Schultz drove in two runs and hit her first triple of the season.
Sophomore Landrie Harris started in the circle for Creighton but it was freshman Audrey Gilman who earned the victory. Harris allowed two hits and two free passes in 1.1 innings. Gilman struck out two and limited the Bearkats to three hits across 5.2 innings.
Notes
Senior Erika Perez tied a career-high by drawing three walks against Central Arkansas and another walk against Sam Houston to extend her career-long on-base streak to 17 straight games.
Junior Ashten Pierson recorded her 18th career hit-by-pitch in the season-opener against Central Arkansas, moving into a tie with Liz McKeon for ninth on Creighton's career hit-by-pitch record list.
The Bluejays continue action at the Bearkat Classic on Saturday with two more games beginning at 11 a.m. against Central Arkansas, followed by a matchup with Sam Houston at 1:30 p.m.
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Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016.