Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst College baseball team improved to 8-27 on the season by splitting a doubleheader with Carroll University at Butterfield Park.

Elmhurst hung on to escape game one with a 5-4 victory, but Carroll rallied from a 7-0 deficit to topple Elmhurst 11-9 in game two.

ELMHURST 5, CARROLL 4 (Game One) - Elmhurst and Carroll combined for just eight singles as the Bluejays hung on to score a 5-4 victory.

Elmhurst jumped out to a 5-0 lead after just three innings. Sacrifice flies from Ryan Schrader, Joey Natale, and Dan Bosco accounted for three of the Bluejays' five runs. Schrader and Zach Crinigan added run-scoring singles in the third inning to account for the Bluejays' final two runs.

Carroll (8-19) got on the scoreboard with three runs in the sixth inning, despite collecting just one hit in the frame. A pair of walks and a hit batter loaded the bases for the Pioneers. Matt Francois was hit by a pitch to force in a run and pinch-hitter Craig Reynolds followed with a two-run single to pull Carroll to within a pair. 

The Pioneers threatened in the top of the seventh as three straight walks loaded the bases with no outs. Cody Boals struck out Matt Busse before Mike Karpinski singled home a run to pull Carroll to within a run. A botched squeeze play by Carroll accounted for the second out of the inning, and Boals punched out Nick Sobrilsky to end the game.

Dan Napientek (1-6) earned his first win of the season, working 5.2 innings and allowing just one hit and three runs. He walked six while fanning two. Boals worked one inning in relief to record Elmhurst's first save of the season. 

CARROLL 11, ELMHURST 9 (Game Two) - Carroll earned the doubleheader split by rallying from a seven-run deficit to defeat Elmhurst 11-9 in game two.

Elmhurst got on the scoreboard with a seven-run outburst in the second inning. Vince Mathe started the scoring by smashing a grand slam over the left field fence to give Elmhurst a 4-0 lead. Schrader added a two-run double and Brian Marquis singled home a run to stake Elmhurst to a 7-0 cushion. 

Carroll cut into the Bluejays' lead by scoring three times in the third. The Pioneers capitalized on a pair of Elmhurst errors in the fifth to score four unearned runs and knot the score at seven. 

The Pioneers used the long ball in the sixth inning to take an 11-7 lead. George Simons and Busse both hit two-run home runs to put Carroll in front for the first time all day. 

Nick Herrera cut the deficit in half when he launched a two-run homer to right field in the bottom of the sixth, but the Bluejays came no closer, falling by an 11-9 final score.

Natale collected three hits in the Bluejays' loss.

Kyle Grubertook the loss in relief for Elmhurst. Gruber surrendered four hits and four run in one inning of work.

Elmhurst hosts Concordia University (Wis.) on Tuesday, May 4.