AUBURNDALE, Fla. - The Elmhurst University baseball team used a historic offensive output to down Knox College, 21-7, in seven innings Tuesday afternoon at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational.

Elmhurst (3-9) scored the most runs in a game since the 2017 season, tallying 21 runs on 12 hits in the game, to move past Knox College (4-7) and improve to 3-2 during their time in Florida. Despite the Prairie Fire leading 6-4 after two innings, the Bluejays would use back-to-back big innings in the fourth and fifth to blow the game open, with 15 runs scored across both innings, to secure the run-rule victory. 

Freddie March went 1-for-4 in the game, but his one hit made the most impact as the graduate student launched a grand slam and added one more RBI on a walk to lead with five RBI on the day. Zach Kolb went 2-for-3 with four RBI in the game, and Evan Johnson added three RBI. Erik Malott tallied two RBI, while Marty Fraga, Blake Gould, Ryan Thrawl, and Tommy Wichgers also added RBI's in the contest. 

On the mound, Joseph Ingratta earned the win in relief, pitching four innings and giving up four hits and three runs while adding five strikeouts to improve to 2-1 on the season. Spencer Anton and John Seybold provided effective relief outings as well, with each pitching one inning and giving up a combined two hits and one run to keep the Prairie Fire at bay.

Elmhurst got the scoring started in the first off an RBI single from Kolb, and an error by Knox allowed Malott to score and extend the lead to 2-0. Knox would plate three runs in their half of the first before another pair of runs from Fraga and Kolb gave Elmhurst the lead back, 4-3. Knox again responded with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the second to take the lead back, 6-4, where the score stood until the fourth inning.

A walk and hit by pitch placed two runners on base for Kolb, who lined a single to left field to move the Bluejays closer, and a sacrifice fly from Fraga knotted the game at six with Elmhurst still in business. A Gould single gave Elmhurst the lead, and a bases loaded walk from Thrawl extended the lead to two for Elmhurst. With the bases still juiced, Johnson would smack a double to center to clear the bases, and later another bases-loaded walk from Malott gave Elmhurst a 12-6 lead through four.

The offense was not done yet, as the Bluejays got back after it in the fifth, again using a bases-loaded walk and hit by pitch to score another two runs, and a third in the inning on a wild pitch. With the bases loaded, March stepped to the plate and knocked his fourth home run of the season over the fence in left field for a grand slam, breaking open a 19-6 advantage for the Bluejays through five innings. 

A pair of wild pitches by Knox in the sixth scored another two runs for Elmhurst to move the score to 21-6, and despite scoring one run in the seventh the Bluejays closed out the game early, winning 21-7 over Knox.

UP NEXT

Elmhurst takes on Worcester State in a doubleheader tomorrow morning, March 20, beginning at 9:30 a.m. CT.

FOLLOW THE BLUEJAYS

Be sure to keep up with all Elmhurst University Athletics content by following the Bluejays on Twitter (@elmhurstbluejay), Facebook (Elmhurst University Athletics) and Instagram (@elmhurstbluejays), and tune in to elmhurstbluejays.com for the latest news and information.