PEORIA, Ill. - The Elmhurst University softball team downed Finlandia University and Knox College to open the 2023 campaign Friday afternoon at the Mount Mary Blue Angel Invite in Peoria.

Elmhurst (2-0) started the day defeating Finlandia (0-4) 11-0 in six innings, using a six-run sixth to soundly win in their season opener. The Bluejays tallied 15 hits and four doubles on the afternoon, also stealing three bases. Chiara O'Leary led the way for the Bluejays both in the circle and at the plate, pitching all six innings and giving up no runs, five hits, and striking out one batter. O'Leary also went 4-for-4 at the plate, knocking in two RBI. Maddie Trost knocked in two RBI in the game, while Hannah Dunk scored three runs in a 3-for-5 effort at the plate. 

In game two, the Bluejays kept their momentum at the plate going, downing Knox College 10-0 in five innings for their second run-rule victory of the day. Elmhurst tallied 10 hits in the contest, including a pair of triples and a home run. Dunk led the way at the plate for the Bluejays in game two, knocking in four RBI in a 2-for-2 effort which included her first-career triple and a home run. Freshman Madigan Doss made her debut for Elmhurst in the game, smacking a two-run single into left field for her only plate appearance on the afternoon. In the circle, Brianna Pisauro pitched all five innings, giving up no runs on five hits and four strikeouts.

GAME ONE | ELMHURST 11, FINLANDIA 0 (6 INN.)

Elmhurst started fast in their first inning of the season, putting two runners on second and third before Julia Orel reached base on an error to allow the Bluejays' first run to score. After a quiet second inning for both teams in the second, Elmhurst added to their lead after Dunk reached base and stole second, coming around to score on a Hailee Jenkins single. Jenkins advanced to third on a single from O'Leary, and scored after Orel grounded into a double play, extending the lead to 3-0 through three.

The Bluejays added another pair of runs in the fourth  on back-to-back RBI doubles from Alex Kiriakopoulos and Julia Noga. Elmhurst fought to keep Finlandia off the board in the fifth, with O'Leary stranding a runner at second  on a fly out to right field to end the fifth. Elmhurst then exploded for six runs on six hits in the sixth inning, with three-straight singles loading the bases for the Bluejays before another single from O'Leary knocked in two runs. With the bases loaded again, Trost singled to the outfield to score another pair of runs. Elmhurst scored their final two runs of the sixth inning on a groundout from Morley and a single from Kiriakopoulos, extending the lead to 11-0 and keeping Finalndia off the board in the bottom half of the inning to finish their season-opening victory.

GAME TWO | ELMHURST 10, KNOX 0 (5 INN.)

In game two against Knox College, Elmhurst went down quickly in both of the first two innings before another offensive explosion in the third inning, scoring 10 runs on nine hitd and a pair of errors. With runners on second and third with no outs, Dunk smashed the ball to left-center field for a triple, scoring two runners to start the scoring. Jenkins followed in the footsteps of her teammate in the previous at-bat, knocking a triple to right-center field to score another run for the Bluejays before an O'Leary groundout extended the lead to 4-0. A walk from Leah Falk again loaded the bases, this time with two outs in the inning, but a throwing error from the Knox shortstop allowed another pair of runs to score, extending the lead to six for Elmhurst. Doss then singled to left field, scoring another pair of runners, before Dunk knocked a two-run home run to complete the scoring for the Bluejays in the third.

The Bluejays were able to make quick work of Knox in the final two innings, with Pisauro sitting down six-straight batters to complete the run-rule victory for the Bluejays.

UP NEXT

Elmhurst will be back in Peoria next Friday, Mar. 3, facing off against the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point and Mount Mary University at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. CT.

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