JACKSONVILLE, Ill. - The Elmhurst University baseball team wrapped up competition Sunday afternoon in Jacksonville, downing Olivet College, 10-6, before falling to Central College, 10-8.

Elmhurst (3-4, 0-0 CCIW) started the day down four runs through two innings, but surged back with a five-run fifth inning to take their second victory of the weekend over Olivet. At the plate, four different players (Drew Raspolich, Freddie March, Ryan Thrawl, Zach Kolb) all tallied two-RBI in the contest, while Jesse James recorded a trio of walks to help the Elmhurst offense. On the mound, Zach Keplar earned the win in relief for the Bluejays with 4.2 innings pitched, scattering five hits and two runs while striking out six batters in the outing. 

In game two against Central College, an early back-and-forth affair saw the game knotted at three through five innings, but a three-run eighth inning from Elmhurst put the Bluejays ahead 8-3 with six outs to go. However, Central responded in a big way with seven runs in their half of the eighth to stun the Bluejays for the second time on the weekend. At the plate, Trey Romay went 3-for-4 with three RBI, including a double and a triple, while Raspolich, Troy Taller, Thrawl, and Calvin Keith also tallied RBI's for Elmhurst. Taller started the game on the mound with a strong outing, giving up five runs on six hits and two walks across seven innings, striking out six batters, but Cody Baker ended up taking the loss after a trio of pitching changes in the eighth. 

GAME ONE | ELMHURST 10, OLIVET 6

Olivet started the game strong at the plate, plating four runs in the first two innings to jump out to a 4-0 advantage. Elmhurst was able to get on the board in the third after a run-scoring double from Romay, and added another pair of runs in the fourth via a Thrawl groundout and a Kolb single, cutting the deficit to just one heading into the fifth inning.

Olivet extended their lead to 5-3 with another run in the top of the fifth, but the Bluejay offense woke up in their half of the inning with five runs on four hits. Taller led off the inning with a walk and advanced to third on a Romay double, with both of them coming around to score on a single from March, tying the game at five a piece. After a pitching change from Olivet, the Bluejays loaded the bases with two outs and took advantage with a walk from Hafner pushing the Bluejays ahead a run, and a two-RBI single from Raspolich completed the scoring in the fifth with Elmhurst leading 8-5.

The Bluejays added another pair of runs in the sixth, and Keplar continued his strong outing from the bullpen with a pair of strikeouts in the seventh and eighth and a punctual backwards K to end the game in favor of Elmhurst, 10-6.

GAME TWO | ELMHURST 8, CENTRAL 10

In game two, the Bluejays controlled the pace early, scoring a run on a triple from Romay to jump to an early 1-0 lead. After Central tied the game at one in their half of the first, Thrawl knocked an RBI-double and came around to score on a passed ball to bring the Bluejays ahead a pair of runs again. Central again knotted the game at three in the fifth inning, but a sixth-inning solo home run from Keith put the Bluejays in the lead again. Romay continued his hot streak at the plate in the Elmhurst half of the seventh, smashing a solo shot to extend the lead to two, before three runs came across the plate in the eighth thanks to a fielders choice from Raspolich, single from Taller, and double from Romay.

Central responded in their half of the eight, however, scoring seven runs on six hits to take a two-run lead with three outs to go. The Bluejays threatened in the ninth, with Thrawl reaching base on an error and advancing to third on a wild pitch, and Kolb walking to place runners on the corners with one out left. However, a groundout to shortstop ended the Bluejays hopes and sealed their second defeat to Central on the weekend.

UP NEXT

Elmhurst will head to Kalamazoo, Mich. on Saturday, March 11 for a doubleheader against Kalamazoo College scheduled for 11:00 a.m. CT and 2:00 p.m. CT.

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