ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst University baseball team celebrated its senior day by splitting a pair of games with Wheaton College. The Bluejays fell 12-5 in game one, but rallied in game two to score a 5-4 victory.
Elmhurst moved to 17-19 overall and 12-16 in the CCIW with the split while Wheaton moved to 13-23 overall and 9-19 in league play. Elmhurst honored its 12 senior players prior to the start of the contest.
WHEATON 12, ELMHURST 5 (Game One) – Wheaton scored a combined eight runs in the third and fourth inning to score a 12-5 win over Elmhurst in game one.
Elmhurst grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second after
Kevin Johlie singled home a run. Wheaton broke things open in the third, scoring five times to take a 5-1 lead. Joel Pierce delivered the big blow in the inning for Wheaton, cracking a grand slam over the fence in left-center field to cap the Thunder's big inning.
The Thunder tacked on three more runs in the fourth to go up 8-1. Pierce came through again, delivering a two-run single for the Thunder.
Elmhurst shaved a run off the Thunder's lead in the bottom of the fourth, scoring a run on a
Troy Taller RBI single to make the score 8-2.
Wheaton pushed a run home in the fifth to make the score 9-2 before Elmhurst answered back with a run in the bottom of the sixth on a
Troy Taller RBI double. The Bluejays closed to within four in the eighth after scoring on RBI knocks from
Charlie May and
Carter Truong. Wheaton tacked on three insurance runs in the ninth to make the final score 12-5.
Trey Romay led Elmhurst at the plate with three hits while Truong and Taller finished with two hits apiece for the Bluejays.
Alex Kielion made the start and took the loss, working 2.1 innings and allowing five hits and five runs. He walked three and fanned one.
ELMHURST 5, WHEATON 4- Elmhurst rallied from a 4-3 deficit and scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth to down Wheaton 5-4 in the night cap.
The Bluejays grabbed an early 2-0 lead on a two-run triple from
Troy Taller in the second inning. The Bluejays made it 3-0 in the third after
Freddie March connected on a solo homer to left field to leadoff the inning.
Wheaton answered back with two runs in the top of the sixth and then pulled even at 3-3 with a run in the seventh. The Thunder used an RBI single from Mason Packwood on a hit-and-run to take a 4-3 lead in the eighth.
Tyler Kledzik and
Trey Romay started the eighth inning with back-to-back singles for the Bluejays. The Thunder retired the lead runner on a play at third on a close call, leaving Elmhurst with two on and one out. After a strikeout,
Paul Fomby delivered a clutch, two-out single to center to score Romay and knot the score at 4-4.
Trevor Lorek followed by chopping a single down the third base line to drive in
Lorenzo Farino and give Elmhurst a 5-4 lead.
Cole Bozzi worked around a two-out walk in the top of the ninth to retire Joel Pierce on a grounder to end the contest.
Jaysn Miller made the start and took a no-decision for Elmhurst. He tossed six innings, scattering nine hits and three runs. He walked two while striking out six. Bozzi earned the win in relief, pitching the final 1.2 innings and allowing just one hit and one walk.
Elmhurst hosts North Central College on Tuesday, May 11, at 3:00 p.m.
