ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst College softball team vaulted back into the middle of the CCIW Tournament race by sweeping a doubleheader from Millikin University with a pair of one-run contests.
 
Elmhurst won the opener 2-1 and rallied for a 4-3 win in the nightcap. With the victories, Elmhurst improved to 18-16 overall and 5-7 in the CCIW. The Bluejays moved into a three-way tie with Augustana and Carthage for fifth-place in the CCIW standings. All three teams sit just a game-behind North Park for the fourth and final spot in the CCIW Tournament. North Park finished it's CCIW season at 6-8. Elmhurst plays its final two CCIW contests against Carthage while Augustana has two games remaining against North Central.
 
ELMHURST 2, MILLIKIN 1 (Game One) – Elmhurst scored two runs in the second and Stefanie Sanidas did the rest from the circle while leading the Bluejays to a 2-1 victory.
 
Millikin (14-20, 3-11 CCIW) took advantage of an Elmhurst error in the second inning to push home an unearned run and take an early 1-0 lead.
 
The Bluejays answered back in the bottom of the second with two runs. With a runner at first and one out, Morganne Evans ripped a triple off the wall in right field to drive in Lauren Rismondo. An attempted pickoff throw at third sailed into the outfield and allowed Evans to score from third and put the Bluejays in front 2-1.
 
The two runs was all Sanidas would need. The Elmhurst junior improved to 11-5 on the season after scattering six hits and one unearned run while pitching a complete game. Sanidas did not allow a walk and struck out five.
 
ELMHURST 4, MILLIKIN 3 (Game Two) – Elmhurst rallied for four runs with two outs in the fifth inning to finish the sweep with a 4-3 win in game two.
 
Millikin struck first for a run in the first on an Alysse Voegele RBI single. An RBI double from Lena Dyer in the second inning put the Big Blue up 2-0.

Elmhurst did its damage in the fifth with two outs and the bases empty. Stephanie Sturino singled and moved to second after Bri Getzloff's infield single. Stephanie Hintz delivered a key blow by ripping a double into the left-centerfield gap to drive in Sturino and Getzloff and knot the score in the process. An error on Millikin allowed Brianna Thompson to reach. Bekah Ondracek followed with a two-run double to centerfield to put the Bluejays in front 4-2.

Millikin got a run back in the sixth on an Alexis Dockins RBI double, but Dockins was cut down at third base trying to stretch the hit into a triple to end the inning.

Sanidas, who started the game from the circle, but gave way for Sturino for the middle innings, re-entered the contest and closed out the Big Blue in the seventh inning.
 
Hintz finished 2-for-4 from the plate with a pair of RBIs to lead the Bluejays' offense.
 
Sturino pitched four innings in relief and earned the victory, allowing just one run on five hits. She walked one and fanned one. Sanidas recorded her first save of the season and totaled three innings pitched. She allowed four hits and two runs while striking out one.
 
Elmhurst travels to Carthage tomorrow, April 27, for a doubleheader at 3:00 p.m.