ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst softball team opened the CCIW portion of its 2019 schedule by dropping a doubleheader to Carthage College at Salt Creek Park. Carthage took game one 3-0 and won game two 10-2.
Elmhurst slid to 6-9 overall (0-2 CCIW) while Carthage upped its record to 15-5 overall and 3-1 in the CCIW).
CARTHAGE 3, ELMHURST 0 (Game One) – Elmhurst could not solve Carthage's Stefanie Guercio as she pitched the Lady Reds to a 3-0 win in game one.
Guercio flirted with perfection, facing just 22 hitters and allowing just one walk while striking out 10. Elmhurst had its only chance to score in the second inning.
Jackie Orel's line drive to left sailed over the head of the Carthage outfielder and rolled to the fence for a leadoff triple. Guercio pitched out of the inning with back-to-back strikeouts and a flyout.
Carthage grabbed a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on Courtney Polanski's RBI single. The Lady Reds added two insurance runs in the sixth on an RBI double from Ellie Bernero and a run-scoring single from Polanski.
Polanski and Bernero finished two hits apiece to lead Carthage in the win.
Sydni Gizynski pitched well for Elmhurst but was saddled with the loss. Giyznski worked seven innings, allowing seven hits and three runs. She walked two and struck out four.
CARTHAGE 10, ELMHURST 2- Carthage used a six-run fifth inning to erase a one-run deficit before finishing the doubleheader sweep with a 10-2 win in six innings.
The Lady Reds scored a run in the bottom of the first, but Elmhurst finally broke through on Guercio, who entered the game in relief, in the fifth. A pair of Carthage errors put runners on the corners with two outs.
Rebekah Ondracek crushed a double off the left field fence to drive in
Julianna Bauer and
Veronica Zahn and give the Bluejays their first lead of the day at 2-1.
Elmhurst's lead was short lived as Carthage scored six times in the bottom of the fifth. Guercio did the damage with the bat, singling home a pair of runs to put the Lady Reds up for good. Carthage tacked on three more runs in the sixth, finishing the game off with a two-run double from Polanski to win by the 10-2 final.
Orel and Zahn finished with two hits apiece for Elmhurst while Ondracek drove in both runs for Elmhurst.
Emily Despain took the loss for Elmhurst, working four plus innings and allowing six hits and three runs. She walked one and struck out three. Guercio picked up the win in relief, tossing two innings and allowing four hits and two unearned runs while striking out three.
Elmhurst travels to Millikin University on Sunday, April 7.
