AUBRUNDALE, Fla. - The Elmhurst University baseball team picked up their first two victories of the 2024 campaign Sunday afternoon, sweeping a doubleheader against Bard College.

Elmhurst (2-8) broke through offensively, scoring a combined 25 runs across both games, and used effective pitching in game two to secure both ends of a sunny afternoon doubleheader in Florida against Bard (4-5).

Javier Cervantes stepped up to the plate for Elmhurst, going a combined 3-for-7 with four RBI, one double, and one triple, while John Swiderek tallied four RBI on the day. 

On the mound, Joseph Ingratta picked up the win in game one to improve to 1-1 on the season, while Cole Bozzi pitched a gem in game two, going the full seven innings and giving up seven hits and two runs while adding four strikeouts to improve to 1-2.

GAME ONE | ELMHURST 17, BARD 11

The Bluejays came out of the gates hot in game one. Zach Kolb scored on a wild pitch in the first, and Elmhurst added two more runs in the second after a pair of errors from Bard. The Bluejays extended their lead to four thanks to an Evan Johnson RBI single, but Bard fought back with back-to-back solo home runs and another one batter later to bring the score to 4-3 Elmhurst.

Ryan Thrawl would double home a runner in the Bluejay half of the fifth to move it back to a two-run lead, but Bard would use the long ball twice again in the sixth, and a bases-loaded walk allowed the designated visitors to take an 8-5 lead heading to the bottom of the sixth.

Elmhurst would go on to score 12 runs in the bottom of the sixth to blow the game open. First, a bases-loaded walk from Erik Malott scored a run, and a wild pitch scored Swiderek and evened the game at eight each. A Cervantes double scored two and gave Elmhurst the 10-8 lead, and a pair of passed balls scored another two Bluejays to put Elmhurst up 12-8.

Malott tallied a sacrifice fly to score another, and a Swiderek double scored another two runs. Tommy Wichgers and Cervantes would wrap up the inning with back-to-back RBI singles, moving the score to 17-8. Elmhurst would allow a trio of runs in the seventh, but the rally ended for Bard and Elmhurst picked up their first win of the season, 17-11.

GAME TWO | ELMHURST 8, BARD 2

The Bluejays would again get on the board first in game two, with Marty Fraga scoring on a throwing error and Cervantes knocking him in with an RBI triple. Bard would respond with a run of their own in the bottom half of the first, and the game stood at 2-1 in favor of Elmhurst through the first two innings.

In the third, Elmhurst had five runs cross the plate thanks to a Swiderek two-RBI single, a bases-loaded hit by pitch from Connor Drowns, and a two-RBI double from Wichgers, moving the score to 7-1. Bard would add another run on a solo home run to left field in the third, but Bozzi would shut down any scoring chance the designated home team had, and another error scored Cervantes to wrap game two up for Elmhurst by a score of 8-2.

UP NEXT

Elmhurst will look to continue their winning streak tomorrow morning, March 18, with an early-morning first pitch at 8:00 a.m. CT against the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

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