ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst University baseball team moved to 10-7 overall and 6-5 in the CCIW after splitting a doubleheader with Carthage College at Butterfield Park. The Bluejays won the opening contest 11-4 before dropping game two 15-1.
ELMHURST 11, CARTHAGE 4 (Game One) – Elmhurst scored early and often and used a strong pitching performance from
Jaysn Miller to defeat Carthage 11-4 in game one.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the first, the Bluejays scored three runs and never looked back.
Trey Romay doubled home a run to tie the game.
Paul Fomby and
Drew Raspolich added RBIs in the inning to stake the Bluejays to a quick 3-1 lead.
Fomby singled home a run in the second to make the score 4-1. A Carthage error in the third put the Bluejays in front 5-1.
Elmhurst broke things open in the fifth inning, sending 10 men to the plate and scoring four times.
Troy Taller knocked in one and
Carter Truong singled in a pair to spark the Bluejays' big inning.
Carthage scored a run in the seventh and two in the eighth on a two-run homer from Jake Cinelli to cut the Bluejays' lead down to 9-4. Elmhurst tacked on two runs in the eighth.
Zachary Mietzner belted a solo homer to left field to account for the first run and a
Freddie March groundout drove in the Bluejays' final run of the game.
Truong and Fomby drove in two runs apiece to lead the Bluejays at the plate. Truong and
Lorenzo Farino collected two hits apiece for Elmhurst.
Miller improved to 3-1 on the season after picking up the win. He tossed eight innings and scattered nine hits and four runs. He walked just one and struck out three.
CARTHAGE 15, ELMHURST 1 (Game Two) – Carthage boke open a close game with a six-run outburst in the sixth inning on route to a 15-1 win in game two.
Carthage used a pair of home runs to take an early 3-0 lead. Bryce Prybylinski smacked a two-run shot in the first inning and Colton Klein added a solo shot in the third to stake the Firebirds to a quick 3-0 lead.
Carthage's Dane Guarascio cruised though the first three innings, retiring the first nine batters he faced, including striking out seven consecutive batters. Elmhurst started the fourth with back-to-back singles from Truong and
Tyler Kledzik. Romay followed with a double off the left field fence to drive in one and put the Bluejays on the scoreboard.
The Firebirds responded with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth to extend their lead to 5-1. Elmhurst threatened in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases with no outs, but a pair of pop ups and a diving catch by Carthage's Johnny Belskis ended the Bluejays' scoring chance.
Carthage broke things open in the sixth, sending 12 batters to the plate and scoring six times. Prybylinski delivered the big blow in the inning for Carthage, smashing a grand slam to center field. Carthage tacked on four runs in the seventh to make the final score 15-1.
Joseph Kalish took the loss for Elmhurst, allowing 11 hits and eight earned runs over 5.1 innings. He walked one and fanned two. Guarascio picked up the win for Carthage, tossing 6.2 innings and allowing five hits and one run. He walked three while striking out 12.
Elmhurst plays the rubber game of the three-game weekend series tomorrow by traveling to Carthage for a 1:00 p.m. contest.
