CINCINNATI (Interstat) — The Creighton Bluejays and Xavier Musketeers open a pivotal Big East series Thursday at Marge Schott Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for the afternoon/evening. The forecast calls for 69-degree temperatures and rain.

Creighton (28-22) enters on a two-game losing streak, most recently falling 8-4 at home to Nebraska on Tuesday. Xavier (25-27) counters after sweeping a three-game series at Butler, capped by a 9-2 victory Sunday.

The Bluejays will look to right fielder Teddy Deters, who homered and drove in three runs against Nebraska. Over his last 10 games, Deters has been streaky, with a 4-for-5, four-RBI outburst in a win over Georgetown on May 9, but also five hitless games in that span. He is hitting .260 for the season.

Xavier counters with pitcher Sam Stevens, who threw three scoreless innings of relief against Butler on Sunday, allowing no hits and striking out two. Stevens had posted a 1.93 ERA over his previous four outings before a rough start against Georgia Tech on May 2, where he allowed one earned run in 2.1 innings.

A computer simulation projects a 6-4 Xavier victory, but the Interstat ELO system gives Creighton a 53.70 percent probability to win — a statistical contradiction that underscores the series’ unpredictability.

The Musketeers have won five of their last seven, with a potent offense that scored double-digit runs in three of those victories. Center fielder Jorge Valdes went 4-for-6 with three RBIs in the Butler series finale.

Creighton has struggled recently, losing five of its last six. The Bluejays’ pitching staff, which got strong relief outings from Shane Curtin and Brian Gould against Nebraska (four combined innings, no earned runs), will need similar depth Thursday.

This is the first of a three-game set, with the teams meeting again Friday and Saturday. Xavier holds a slim edge in the all-time series, but Creighton has won the last two meetings at Schott Stadium.

The game marks a critical juncture for both teams as they jockey for position in the Big East standings with the regular season winding down.