ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst baseball team split a pair of games against Carthage, using a six-run eighth inning to take game one 11-10 before dropping game two 11-2.
 
Game One: Elmhurst 11, Carthage 10
After leading for much of the game, the Bluejays came out on top in a wild game one 11-10.
 
Ben Havel got the Bluejays started in the right foot with a three-run home run in the first. Matt Wilson added an RBI single later in the inning to put Elmhurst ahead 4-0. Wilson extended the lead in his next at bat as well, scoring A.J. Compton on a ground out to second.
 
Leading 5-0 through six innings, Elmhurst miscues brought the Red Men back into the game. Mike Rostine, who did not allow a hit until the fourth and cruised to six shutout innings, looked to be out of the seventh as well, but an error and a drop kept the inning alive. With two away and one out, a ground ball looked to be the third out, but a bobble gave Carthage another chance. The next batter, Jared Knoespel hit a high fly ball in foul territory down the right-field line that almost was tracked down, but fell to keep the at bat alive. After a walk loaded the bases, the next hitter Jordan Weigold blasted a grand slam that brought the ballgame to 5-4.
 
The Red Men tied the game in fifth as Rostine's final batter John Burkiewicz singled up the middle.
 
Elmhurst bounced back with six runs in the eighth inning. Eleven Bluejays came to the plate. Austin MacMillan, Trey Compton, Wilson (two), and McReynolds (two) all recorded RBIs as the Bluejays totaled six hits, all singles, in the inning.
 
Leading 11-5, Elmhurst struggled to find the final out as Carthage threatened to send the game to extras. Two walks and a single loaded the bases with just one out and, after a single scored the first run, a run-scoring fielder's choice put the Bluejays one out away from a victory. Another single pulled Carthage within three at 11-8. Chris Eberhart came in the game for one batter and allowed a walk before Daryl Rivera was asked to get the final out. Consecutive hit by pitches moved the tying run all the way to third. Rivera forced Weigold to pop out to end the game.
 
Wilson and A.J. Compton led the Elmhurst offense with three hits, while Wilson also recorded a team-high four RBIs. Eight of the BLuejays' starters recorded at least one hit with five tallying a multi-hit game.
 
Rostine finished 7.2 inning, allowing five runs (one earned) on eight hits, while striking out three and walking three in a tough-luck no decision. Nick Drago took the win, while Rivera earned the save.
 
Luke Mentkowski tossed 6.1 innings of five-run ball, while Tim Sulik took the loss, allowing all six runs in the eighth. Along with Weigold's grand slam, A.J. Kaprelian notched three hits for the Red Men.
 
Game Two: Carthage 11, Elmhurst 2
The Red Men scored early and often, earning a split with an 11-2 victory.
 
Carthage began the game with three in the first inning, but Elmhurst starter Ben Havel limited further damage by stranding the bases loaded. The Red Men led 5-0 after three innings and Brandon Kressner put Elmhurst back in the game with a home run to left field.
 
Carthage starter Chris DeRue settled down from there and finished out the complete game, allowing nine hits and two runs, while striking out seven. The Red Men piled on late by scoring pairs of runs in the sixth, eighth, and ninth to run away with an 11-2 victory.
 
Kressner, MacMillan, and Christian Ott all recorded two hits for Elmhurst. Havel allowed seven runs in the loss, while Kiko Mari and Matt Conroy both saw time out of the bullpen.
 
Weigold finished out a great day at the plate with four hits and two RBIs. Jared Helmich and Reed Hero also had three hits.
 
Elmhurst looks to take the series in a critical game three tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.