ELMHURST, Ill. – A dominant pitching performance from Ben Havel propelled the Elmhurst baseball team to a doubleheader split against Wheaton, allowing the Bluejays to take two-out-of-three in the series.

Elmhurst (16-12, 5-7 CCIW) dispatched Wheaton (18-11, 7-5 CCIW) 11-1 in the opening game of the doubleheader. Wheaton salvaged a split by scoring a 9-3 win in 10 innings of game number two.

ELMHURST 11, WHEATON 1 (Game One) – Elmhurst secured the series victory over the Thunder behind a complete-game from Ben Havel and a 14-hit performance from the offense.

Wheaton jumped out to a 1-0 lead by stringing together a pair of hits in the first inning, but that would be the only offense the Thunder would muster for the entire contest.
Elmhurst took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second, scoring on RBI singles from Chris Eberhart and Christian Ott. The Bluejays tacked on two more runs in the third on a sacrifice fly from A.J. Compton and an RBI double from Trey Crompton.

After scoring a run in the sixth, the Bluejays scored a walk-off win by 10 runs with a five-run outburst in the seventh inning. Eberhart delivered the big blow with a bases clearing, three-run double to right field. A single from Brandon Kressner gave Elmhurst a 10-1 lead and a bases loaded walk to Austin MacMillan forced home the game-ending run.

Havel went the distance for the Bluejays and shut down the Thunder. After allowing two hits and a run in the first inning, Havel did not allow another hit until the seventh inning. Havel allowed just three hits and one run over seven innings. He struck out nine while walking just three.

Kressner finished 4-for-5 at the plate with a pair of RBIs. Eberhart added two hits and drove in a team-leading four runs while MacMillan finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI. Christian Ott and Reagan McReynolds added two hits apiece in the win. McReynolds scored a run and drove in a run, while Ott scored twice and an added an RBI.

WHEATON 9, ELMHURST 3 (Game Two) – Wheaton salvaged the final game of the three-game series by scoring six runs in the top of the 10th inning to upend Elmhurst 9-3 in extra innings.

Wheaton struck first taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but Elmhurst starter Justin Luzzi pitched out of a bases loaded jam to allow just the one run.

Elmhurst evened the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth. Matt Wilson delivered a key two-out single to drive in MacMillan from second base.

Wheaton broke the 1-1 tie with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh on Ben Brittain's two-out, two-run single. Elmhurst answered back immediately in the bottom of the frame. With two outs and one on, Kressner doubled to right to slice the Thunder's lead down to just one. Havel followed with a double to drive in Kressner and even the score at 3-3. Compton followed with a single but Havel was cut down at the plate trying to score from second to end the inning.

Elmhurst put the winning run in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth, but were unable to come up with the clutch hit.

Wheaton took the lead in the top of the 10th inning. The Thunder batted around in the inning and scored six runs. Early in the inning, the Thunder took advantage of Elmhurst control problems as the Bluejays struggled to throw strikes. A bases loaded walk to JD Carpenter forced in a run. A failed pickoff attempt plated another run for the Thunder to give Wheaton a 5-3 cushion. Nick Mailman followed with a two-run single to extend the Thunder's lead to four. A single from Jon Metz and a throwing error tacked on two more runs for Wheaton allowing the Thunder to salvage the final game of the series.

Elmhurst outhit Wheaton in the contest 11-10 with Kressner, MacMillan, Christian Ott and Matt Wilson totaling two hits apiece.

Justin Luzzi made the start and earned a no-decision, working 6.1 innings and allowing five hits and two earned runs while fanning four. Ben Modesitt took the loss in relief, surrendering five runs and six walks in 1.2 innings of work. Wheaton's Nick Johnson picked up the win in relief, scattering two hits and three walks while not allowing a walk in 3.1 innings pitched. Johnson struck out two while improving to 5-1 on the year.

Elmhurst travels to Eureka College on Wednesday, April 20.