CLERMONT, Fla. -The Elmhurst softball team opened its spring trip to Florida by splitting two contests. The Bluejays were shutout 10-0 by Messiah College, but bounced back to blank Ripon College 8-0.

MESSIAH 10, ELMHURST 0 - A seven-run inning by Messiah helped hand Elmhurst its first loss of the 2015 season in a 10-0 defeat to Falcons.

Messiah (5-6) plated a run in the first on a Katie Tankred RBI single to take a quick 1-0 lead. The Falcons blew the game open in the third inning by sending 10 straight batters to the plate after the bases were empty with two outs. Two-run homers from Amanda Jones and Amber Bingaman along with a two-run double from Carrie Fix helped fuel Messiah's offense in the inning.

Messiah tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the fourth to seal the victory.

Elmhurst's bats struggled to get going as the Bluejays finished with just three singles off the bats of Ele Walter, Bella Masini and Lauren Rismondo. The Bluejays were outhit 14-3 in the loss.

Katie Boals took the loss for Elmhurst after surrendering 11 hits and eight runs in 2.2 innings of work. Stephanie Sanidas finished up in relief and was touched for three hits and one earned run in 1.1 innings of work.

ELMHURST 8, RIPON 0 - The Bluejays picked up their first victory of their Florida road trip with an 8-0 shutout of Ripon. Elmhurst banged out nine hits in the contest while Tiffany Potthast shut down Ripon from the circle. 

Potthast tossed the first complete game shutout of the season for Elmhurst's pitching staff, allowing just three hits and one walk over six innings of work. She fanned five batters while picking up her first victory of the season.
 

After putting the leadoff runner in scoring position in the first two innings but coming up empty, the Bluejays broke the scoreless tie in the fourth. Masini led off the inning with a single and went from first to third on a sacrifice bunt. She came home to score on a wild pitch to give the Bluejays a 1-0 lead.

Elmhurst broke things open in the fifth by sending eight batters to the plate and scoring five runs. Meg Griffin started the scoring with an RBI double. After a walk to Walter, Potthast helped her own cause by roping a double to right field to score Griffin. Masini squeezed home Walter from third to give Elmhurst a 4-0 lead. Alyssa Jasinski followed with a two-run double to give Elmhurst a six-run cushion.

An RBI groundout from Mikayla Melone and a run-scoring single from Walter helped the Bluejays earn a walk-off 8-0 victory in the bottom of the sixth.

Griffin led Elmhurst's offense with three hits while also scoring a run and driving in a run. Potthast added a pair of hits in the victory as six different Bluejays drove in runs in the victory.

Elmhurst takes on Oberlin and Wisconsin-Whitewater tomorrow.