Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst College baseball team opened CCIW play by splitting a doubleheader with Augustana College. The Bluejays won the opener 5-2 but dropped game two to the Vikings 4-2.

ELMHURST 5, AUGUSTANA 2 - Elmhurst senior Joe Luft held Augustana scoreless for eight innings while the Bluejays built up a 5-0 advantage and hung on for the 5-2 victory.

The Bluejays broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning, sending all nine batters to the plate and scoring four runs. Marc Shield started the scoring for the Bluejays with a one-out, RBI single. Joe Kennedy knocked in two runs with a two-out single, and Eric Stevenson added an RBI single to stake Elmhurst to a 4-0 lead.

Shield gave the Bluejays a 5-0 lead in the fifth inning when he singled home Dave Wolak.

On the mound, Luft (3-1) cruised through the first eight innings, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out four. Luft ran into trouble in the ninth as Augustana (13-4) loaded the bases with one out. Grant Stewart's two-run single pulled the Vikings to within three.

Erik Swanson came on in relief of Luft and earned the save. After hitting the first batter he faced to put the tying run on base, Swanson struck out Kevin Serna and then induced Dave Balzer to ground out to end the game.

Shield and Kennedy drove in two runs apiece while Tim Nan also collected a pair of hits for the Bluejays.

AUGUSTANA 4, ELMHURST 2 - Augustana earned the doubleheader split by taking game two 4-2.

The Vikings scored a run in the first, third, and seventh innings to open up a 3-0 lead.

Elmhurst (9-6) got on the scoreboard in the seventh. After a leadoff single from Joe Kennedy, Brian Marquis doubled to put runners at second and third with no outs. Jake Bronkema followed with a run scoring single, chasing Vikings' starter Mike Trotta in the process.

Josiah Martin entered in relief and pitched out of the jam for the Vikings. Martin induced Stevens to ground into a double play, scoring Bronkema in the process and then fanned Brian Evans to end the inning. Augustana tacked on an insurance run in the eighth and Martin sat down the final six hitters he faced to earn the save for Augustana.

Zach Tsiodras, Kennedy, and Bronkema totaled two hits apiece for the Bluejays in the loss.

Jordan Hanlon suffered the loss for the Bluejays despite pitching a complete game. Hanlon scattered five hits and two walks while fanning four.

The Bluejays will travel to Augustana tomorrow (April 1) for the rubber game of the three-game series.