BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Elmhurst University softball team closed its 2021 season by splitting a pair of games at the CCIW Tournament. The Bluejays defeated North Park 8-7 before falling 10-8 in extra innings to Wheaton College.
ELMHURST 8, NORTH PARK 7 – Alana Batista smacked a two-out, two-run homer in the top of the seventh to lift the Bluejays to an 8-7 win over North Park in the opening game of the day.
Elmhurst (10-22) jumped out to an early 5-0 lead before falling behind. The Bluejays scored five runs in the opening inning to race out to a fast start. Batista blasted a three-run homer to start the scoring and
Jamie Haas added a two-run shot to stake the Bluejays to an early lead.
North Park answered back with three runs in the bottom of the first to cut Elmhurst's lead down to just two. Elmhurst made it 6-3 in the second after
Alyssa Filkowski drove in a run on a sacrifice fly. North Park closed to within a run on a two-run homer from Alyssa Aragon in the second inning.
The Vikings surged in front with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 7-6 lead.
Veronica Zahn led off the Elmhurst seventh with an infield single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. After a fly out moved the Bluejays down to their final out, Batista delivered with a two run homer to left to give Elmhurst the 8-7 lead.
Elmhurst worked around a one out walk in the bottom of the seventh to put the game away and advance in the tournament.
Zahn finished with two hits and scored two runs wile Batista cracked a pair of homers and drove in five.
Mia Riese added a pair of hits for Elmhurst in the win.
Jena Hicks picked up the win from the circle, working all seven innings and allowing 12 hits and seven runs. She walked two and struck out four.
WHEAETON 10, ELMHURST 8 - Elmhurst's season came to a close with a 10-8 loss to Wheaton College in eight innings.
Elmhurst led for much of the contest, but Wheaton came up with three runs in the top of the eight to pull away for the win.
Wheaton struck first with a run in the top of the first, but the Bluejays grabbed a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning thanks to RBI hits from Batista and
Mia Tran. Elmhurst made it 3-1 in the second when
Amaya Chavez homered to start the bottom of the second. Wheaton pulled even at 3-3 in the third on a Claire Busch two-run homer.
The Bluejays reclaimed the lead in the fourth, scoring three times to go in front 6-3. Batista drove in a run on a sacrifice fly and Tran homered to left to drive in two. Wheaton answered back immediately, scoring three times in the top of the fifth to knot the score at 6-6. The Thunder moved in front at 7-6 with a run in the sixth, but Elmhurst answered back, trying the game on an RBI single from Tran.
After both teams came up empty in the seventh, the game headed to extra innings. A pair of defensive miscues allowed Wheaton to load the bases with two outs. Melissa Meiners cleared the bases with a two-run double to put Wheaton up 10-7. Elmhurst cut the lead down to 10-8 in the bottom of the eighth after Tran knocked in a run. The Bluejays had the tying runs in scoring position, but a fly out ended the contest for Wheaton.
Alyssa Filkowski finished 4-for-5 at the plate with a pair of runs scored, while Tran finished 3-for-5 with five RBIs.
Brianna Pisauro took the loss in relief for Elmhurst, working five innings and allowing six hits and three earned runs.
