ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst baseball team struggled to score runs in a doubleheader sweep at the hands of North Central College. The Bluejays were shutout 9-0 in the opening game before dropping the night cap 8-1.
 
NORTH CENTRAL 9, ELMHURST 0 – Elmhurst (10-18, 3-11 CCIW) managed only three hits of North Central's Ben Krusen in a 9-0 loss to the Cardinals.
 
North Central's Joe Paparone broke a scoreless tie in the third inning with a solo homer to left field. The Cardinals tacked on an unearned run in the fourth inning on an Elmhurst error and Bobby Smith doubled home a run in the sixth to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead. An RBI single from Paparone in the seventh put North Central in front by four runs. The Cardinals broke the game wide open in the ninth, sending nine batters to the plate and scoring five runs on four hits.
 
Elmhurst put runners on base in just five innings but came up empty with runners in scoring position. The Buejays finished the contest 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven runners on base.
 
A.J. Compton, Greg Struck and Reagan McReynolds each collected a hit for the Bluejays in the loss.
 
Sam Klein and Paparone powered the Cardinals in the win, finishing with three hits and two RBIs apiece.
 
Justin Theisen suffered the loss for Elmhurst, working 6.2 innings and surrendering eight hits and just two earned runs. He walked two and struck out five.

Krusen went the distance for the Cardinals to earn the shutout. He scattered just three hits and two walks over nine innings while fanning 11.
 
NORTH CENTRAL 8, ELMHURST 1 (Game Two) -  Elmhurst scratched out just one run and left 10 runners on base while falling 8-1 to the Cardinals in game two.
 
North Central (19-11, 10-4 CCIW) scored a run in the second inning to take an early lead, but the Bluejays answered back in the bottom of the frame. Struck led off the inning with a double and came home to score on Mike Rostine's two-out RBI single.
 
Paparone continued to swing a hot bat for the Cardinals, putting North Central back in front in the third inning with a two-run homer to left field.
 
The Cardinals scored an unearned run in the seventh and then tacked on four insurance runs in the eighth to pull away for the victory. Elmhurst threated in the late innings, loading the bases with just one out in the eighth, but coming up empty.
 
Struck, Rostine, A.J. Compton, and Ben Havel totaled two hits apiece to pace the Bluejays in the loss. Paparone collected a pair of hits, drove in two runs and scored three times to lead the Cardinals at the plate.
 
Jeff Guzzi worked seven innings for the Bluejays before taking the loss. He allowed nine hits and five runs (four earned) while walking just one. North Central's Bryan Polowy tossed a complete game, scattering nine hits and three walks over nine innings. He allowed just one run while striking out eight.
 
Elmhurst travels to North Central to play the final game of the three-game series tomorrow (April 19) at 1:00 p.m.