ELMHURST, Ill. – Five scoreless innings from Stefania Passarelli and a three-run homer from Sydney Ruotsi helped the Elmhurst softball team rally for a doubleheader split with North Central College
 
Elmhurst dropped the opener 10-0 in six innings before taking the nightcap 4-0. The Bluejays moved to 16-18 overall and 6-8 in league play while North Central upped its record to 19-17 overall and 8-6 in the CCIW.
 
NORTH CENTRAL 10, ELMHURST 0 (Game One) – Elmhurst managed just two hits against North Central starter Jennifer Yager as the Cardinals cruised to the 10-0 victory in game one.

North Central struck first, scoring for two runs in the first. Brooke Kehoe's RBI double put the Cardinals in front 1-0. Kehoe scored on Samantha Phelps' RBI single to give North Central an early two-run cushion.
 
The Cardinals extended their lead to six runs after a four-run fourth inning. North Central took advantage of two Elmhurst errors to plate three unearned runs. Kehoe drove in two with a bloop, two-out single to left. The Cardinals tacked on a run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly to go up 7-0. North Central added three runs in the sixth to earn the 10-run victory.
 
Rebekah Ondracek singled and Tara Cannella doubled to account for Elmhurst's hits in the contest. Kehoe led the Cardinals at the plate, finishing 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and four knocked in.

Yager led the way for the Cardinals, tossing a complete game shutout. She allowed just two hits and one walk over four innings of work while striking out four. Emily Despain took the loss for Elmhurst, slipping to 6-7 on the season. Despain surrendered eight hits and four earned runs in five innings of work. She walked three and fanned one.
 
ELMHURST 4, NORTH CENTRAL 0 (Game Two) – A three-run homer from Sydney Ruotsi and a strong pitching performance from Stefania Passarelli helped lead the Bluejays to a 4-0 win in game two and a split for the day.

Elmhurst broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the sixth. Back-to-back infield singles from Val Perrelli and Lauren Rismondo put two on with no outs for Elmhurst. Ruotsi cleared the bases with one swing, smashing a three-run homer over the right-centerfield fence to put Elmhurst in front. Elmhurst added an insurance run in the inning on Erin Steik's two-out, RBI single.
 
North Central made it interesting in the bottom of the seventh as the Cardinals put the first two runners on base after a pair of Elmhurst errors.

Perrelli and Mikayla Melone recorded two hits apiece for the Bluejays in the win.

Passarelli held the Cardinals scoreless for five innings, scoring her first win of the season in the process. She scattered three hits and one walk while striking out two. Stefanie Sanidas pitched the final two frames for Elmhurst, allowing just one hit.
 
Jessica Weaver took the loss for North Central, dropping to 9-7 in the process. Weaver allowed 10 hits and four runs over seven innings. She did not allow a walk while striking out six.
 
Elmhurst hosts Carroll on Saturday, April 29.