BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Elmhurst baseball team moved to 2-2 in the CCIW after splitting a doubleheader at Illinois Wesleyan University. The Bluejays won the opener 11-3 before falling 3-0 in game two.
Elmhurst improved to 11-6 overall with the split while Illinois Wesleyan moved to 11-5 and 2-1 in league play.
ELMHURST 11, ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 3 (Game One) - Elmhurst scored early and often while
Nick Drago allowed just three runs as the Bluejays cruised to an eight-run victory in game one.
The Bluejays took advantage of early wildness by the first four Titans' pitchers to race out to a 6-0 lead after just three innings. The Bluejays plated two runs in the first, scoring on a wild pitch and a groundout.
Bases loaded walks to
Trey Compton and
Tyler Kledzik forced home runs in the second inning. An RBI single from
Jordan Scrimpsher and another bases loaded walk to Compton gave Elmhurst a 6-0 lead in the third inning as the Titans used four pitchers to get through the first three innings.
After the Titans got a run back in the bottom of the third,
Jacob McMillan doubled home two runs in the fifth to extend Elmhurst's lead to 8-1. The Titans closed to within five with two runs in the seventh, but Scrimpsher and
Austin MacMillan singled home runs in the eighth and
Christian Ott delivered a run-scoring double in the ninth to put the game away for Elmhurst.
Reagan McReynolds, Scrimpsher and MacMillan totaled two hits apiece for the Bluejays. Compton, McMillan and Scrimpsher tallied two RBIs each while Kledzik also scored three runs.
Drago improved to 2-1 on the season after picking up the win. He worked 8.1 innings, allowing just seven hits and three earned runs. He walked just one batter while fanning nine Titans.
Karson Thomas retired the final two batters of the game.
ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 3, ELMHURST 0 (Game Two) - Nathan Tovell allowed just five hits, but the Bluejays' offense was limited to only four hits in a 3-0 loss.
The Bluejays had several chances to score, but a pair of inning-ending double plays ended scoring chances. Elmhurst finished 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
Tovell suffered the loss despite pitching well. He allowed just five and three runs while tossing 7.2 innings. He walked three and fanned four.
The Titans' Nick Brune picked up the win in the pitchers dual. Brune went the distance, recording the shutout while limiting Elmhurst to just four hits. He walked three and struck out six.
Elmhurst hosts Illinois Wesleyan tomorrow (March 31) in the rubber game of the three-game series.
