ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst softball team slipped to 7-12 on the 2019 season after dropping both ends of a doubleheader to Benedictine University. Elmhurst fell 13-3 in game one before coming up one run short in a 3-2 loss in game two.
 
BENEDICTINE 13, ELMHURST 3 (Game One) – Benedictine (19-5) used a pair of big innings to topple Elmhurst 13-3 in game one of the doubleheader.
 
The Eagles scored twice in the first on an Elmhurst throwing error to take a quick 2-0 lead. Benedictine tacked on four runs in the third, with two coming in on a Katelyn Velazquez single.
 
Elmhurst broke the shutout in the fourth, scoring three runs to cut the Eagles' lead in half. The Bluejays scored their first run on a Benedictine error before Riley Schweig drove in a run on an RBI single. Jackie Orel followed with an RBI single to make the score 6-3 after four innings.
 
The Eagles added a run in the fifth and put the game away in the sixth inning, sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring six times.
 
The Bluejays finished with five hits with Mia Tran collecting two of them. Taylor Skraba and Velazquez led the Eagles with three hits apiece.
 
Sydni Gizynski made the start and took the loss for Elmhurst. Gizynski worked three innings allowing six hits and six runs (three earned). Jenna Geraci finished up, allowing eight hits and four earned runs. Alexandra Loizon earned the win for the Eagles, tossing all six inning and allowing five hits and three runs while striking out five.
 
ELMHURST, BENEDICTINE (Game Two) -  Sara Allison recorded a game-winning single for Benedictine in the top of the seventh as the Eagles edged Elmhurst 3-2 in a tightly contested game two.
 
Benedictine jumped on the scoreboard first with run scoring hits from Ashley Fisher and Abbey Plutz.
 
Elmhurst erased the 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the first. Rebekah Ondracek drove in Veronica Zahn on a sacrifice fly and Alyssa Ressinger followed with a two-out RBI single to knot the score at 2-2.
 
Both pitcher settled in for the next five innings as neither team had a runner reach second base until Ondracek roped a one-out double in the bottom of the sixth. A pop-out and flyout ended the Bluejays' scoring chances in the sixth.
 
Benedictine broke the tie in the seventh. Plutz singled to lead off the inning and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. After a strikeout, Allison delivered what proved to be the game-winning single to left field.
 
Bailee Krantz pitched well for Elmhurst but took the loss. Krantz went the distance, tossing all seven innings. She scattered six hits and three runs while striking out two and not issuing a walk. Megan Fast picked up the win for the Eagles, tossing a complete game and allowing just six hits and two runs with two strikeouts.
 
Elmhurst hosts North Central College on Thursday, April 11.