ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst baseball team scored seven runs in the third inning en route to a 9-6 victory over Benedictine University, the Bluejays' second consecutive victory.

Elmhurst (10-17) fell into an early 4-0 hole after Benedictine (13-14) scored two runs in the first, and a pair of unearned runs in the second.

Elmhurst broke the contest wide open in the third, sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring seven times. An RBI single from Ben Havel put the Bluejays on the scoreboard. Zach Tsiodras followed with an RBI double to make the score 4-2. Greg Struck delivered the big blow of the inning, belting a three-run homer to left-center to put Elmhurst in 5-4. Things fell apart defensively for Benedictine as the Eagles committed three errors leading to a pair of unearned runs in the inning for the Bluejays.

Elmhurst added a run in fourth to take an 8-4 lead before Benedictine plated a run in the top of the fifth to pull to within three runs. Brandon Kressner's RBI single in the fifth reestablished Elmhurst's four-run cushion. The Eagles scored a run in the seventh to get back to within three runs, but came no closer as the Bluejays held on for the three-run victory.

Kresner powered the Bluejays at the plate, finishing 4-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. Struck added two hits with three RBIS while Tsiodras totaled two hits, two runs scored and an RBI. A.J. Compton, Havel and Evan Berliner each drove in a run for the Bluejays in the victory.

Mike Ostrowski led Benedictine with two hits and two RBIs in the loss.

Edgar Ross earned the win in relief for the Bluejays, tossing 2.2 innings and allowing seven hits and two runs. He walked one and fanned two. Ivan Nevarez pitched the final 2.1 innings to record his first save of the season. Nevarez allowed just two walks while striking out two.

Elmhurst hosts North Central College in a doubleheader on Saturday, April 18.
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