Box Score CHICAGO, Ill. - The Elmhurst baseball team was unable to overcome an eight-run third inning by Illinois Wesleyan, falling 9-5 to the Titans in the opening round of the CCIW Tournament.

Illinois Wesleyan (27-13) broke a scoreless tie by scoring eight times in the bottom of the third. An Elmhurst error while fighting the sun in a cloudless sky opened the door for four unearned runs.

The Titans added a run in the fifth to build a 9-0 cushion.

Elmhurst (22-19) slowly started to chip away at the Titans' lead in the sixth. The Bluejays loaded the bases with no outs and got on the scoreboard on Dave Wolak's RBI single. A double play grounder scored another run for the Bluejays to make the score 9-2.

The Bluejays pulled closer in the seventh inning. Back-to-back singles from Tyler Wargo and Jake Bronkema put runners at first and second to open the inning. Brian Marquis narrowly missed a three-run homer to right field, driving a double off the wall that scored Wargo. Brian Evans followed with a two-run double to make the score 9-5. An error on the Titans put runners on the corners with no outs for Elmhurst but a strikeout and a line-out double play ended the Bluejays' scoring threat.

Elmhurst finished with 12 hits, but the Bluejays hit into five double plays, including four to end innings.

Marquis finished 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles, a run scored, and an RBI. Wargo and Bronkema added two hits apiece in the loss.

Jordan Hanlon took the loss for the Bluejays, allowing seven hits, four earned runs, and three walks in 2.2 innings. Joe Ramirez finished up in relief, working 5.1 innings and allowing just five hits and one run while fanning three.

Elmhurst will face Augustana College in an elimination game on Friday (May 11) at 10:00 a.m. The top-seed and tournament host, North Park, tipped Augustana 4-3 in the second game on Friday.