KENOSHA, Wis. – The Elmhurst baseball team dropped the rubber game of a three-game weekend series with Carthage, falling 11-7 to the Red Men in Kenosha.
 
Elmhurst slipped to 17-15 overall and 6-9 in the CCIW with the loss. Elmhurst slipped to two games behind Carthage (15-15, 8-7 CCIW) for the fourth and final spot in the CCIW Tournament. The Bluejays are a game behind Wheaton (7-8 CCIW) for fifth place in the CCIW standings with six conference contests remaining.
 
Carthage used the long ball to topple the Bluejays, bashing four home runs to account for eight of the team's 11 runs.
 
Carthage jumped on the scoreboard quickly, using a three-run home run from Matt Rave to cap a four-run first inning. Elmhurst answered back immediately, plating three runs in the top of the second after taking advantage of a pair of Carthage errors to push home three unearned runs. Christian Ott and Brandon Kressner helped spark the inning with RBI singles.
 
A two-run homer from Ryan Kramer in the third put the Red Men up 6-3. A three-run shot from Zach Wade in the fourth gave the Red Men a six-run cushion.

Elmhurst got a run back in the fifth on a Ben Havel solo home run, but A.J. Kaprelian matched the solo shot in the bottom of the fifth for the Red Men.
 
The Bluejays scored a run on an RBI groundout from Ott in the sixthm but trailed the Red Men 11-5 entering the ninth inning. Elmhurst scored on a sacrifice fly from Austin MacMillan and an RBI double from Trey Compton in the ninth to make the final score 11-7.
 
Kressner, Havel, Compton and Wilson collected two hits apiece fto lead the Bluejays at the plate in the loss.

Justin Luzzi was tagged for the loss from the mound after surrendering nine hits and eight runs in three innings of work. He walked two and struck out four. Jared Helmich earned the win for Carthage, improving to 5-0 in the process. Helmich went eight innings and scattered eight hits and three walks while allowing five runs (two earned).
 
Elmhurst plays at Benedictine University on Wednesday, April 27.