ELMHURST, Ill. –
Jamie Haas homered and
Sydni Gizynski pitched her second consecutive complete game to help the Elmhurst University softball team split a doubleheader with Wheaton College at Salt Creek Park. Elmhurst fell 17-6 in the opening game but bounced back to take game two 5-1.
WHEATON 17, ELMHURST + (Game One) – Wheaton scored a run in each of the first four innings while pulling away for an 17-6 six-inning victory in game one.
Wheaton's Paige Andrews hit the first pitch of the game over the left field wall to stake the Thunder to a quick 1-0 lead. Wheaton added another run in the first and tacked on a run in the second to take a 3-0 lead.
Elmhurst took a run back in the second on
Madison Spencer's RBI single. The Thunder sent 10 batters to the plate in the third, scoring five times to open up an 8-1 cushion. The Bluejays answered back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third.
Jackie Orel doubled home a run to start the scoring.
Maddie Trost added a sacrifice fly to make the score 8-3.
Wheaton put three runs on the scoreboard in the fourth. RBI singles from Elise O'Neil and Sydney Heinrich, along with a run-scoring double from Andrews, gave the Thunder an 11-3 lead. Elmhurst scored a run in the bottom of the fifth on a
Paige Pehlke RBI single, but Wheaton broke things open in the sixth, scoring six runs to open up a 17-4 cushion.
Elmhurst (8-17/2-8 CCIW) used RBIs from
Jamie Haas and
Jackie Orel in the sixth to make the final score 17-6.
Haas finished 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored and a run driven in. Orel added two hits and knocked in two. Andrews led the Thunder with three hits and three RBIs.
Brianna Pisauro took the loss for Elmhurst, tossing the first 2.2 innings and allowing 10 hits and seven runs. Emilie Gist earned the win for Wheaton, tossing 5.1 innings and allowing eight hits, six runs and six walks while fanning seven.
ELMHURST 5, WHEATON 1 (Game Two) – Elmhurst scored three times in the top of the sixth and Gizynski pitched her second consecutive complete game to lead the Bluejays to a 5-1 win over Wheaton in the night cap.
Wheaton took a 1-0 in the first inning after Claire Busch delivered a RBI single to stake the Thunder to a quick lead.
Elmhurst threatened with two runners on in the fourth, but Wheaton got out of the inning with a fielder's choice grounder. The Thunder loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, but the Bluejays returned the favor and ended the inning with a fielder's choice ground out.
Elmhurst broke through in the sixth wit three runs in the sixth to take a 3-1 lead.
Chiara O'Leary led off the inning with a double. After a pop out,
Hannah Dunk walked and Orel was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Alexis Laizure drew a walk to force home the tying run.
Alex Kiriakopoulos gave Elmhurst the lead with a sacrifice fly and
Maddie Trost added a run with a double.
Wheaton threatened in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases with no outs, but the Bluejays retired back-to-back runners at the plate on fielder's choice grounders and a pop out ended Wheaton's threat. Haas helped put the game out of reach for the Bluejays, belting a two-out, two-run homer to left in the top of the seventh.
Dunk finished 3-for-3 with a run scored in the win while Haas collected two hits and knocked in two.
Gizynski went the distance for the Bluejays, allowing just six hits and one run. She struck out five while not allowing a walk.
Elmhurst plays a CCIW doubleheader at North Central College on Thursday, April 21.
