NAPERVILLE, Ill. - The Elmhurst University softball team managed a doubleheader split with North Central College Wednesday evening, falling in game one, 4-3, but taking game two, 3-2, in a ninth-inning walkoff.

Elmhurst (11-21, 2-10 CCIW) was able to keep the opener close, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead and again knotting the game at three in the fifth inning. However, a late rally from the Cardinals (24-8, 9-5 CCIW) gave the hosts a walkoff win in the opener.

A two-run single from Alex Kiriakopoulous in the first, and a Grace Hayes single followed by a fielding error scoring another run, was all the offense Elmhurst was able to generate in game one, with Gianna Amundsen also knocking a pair of hits with a single and a triple. In the circle, Emma Lenczewski started the game but did not factor into the decision after leaving with the game tied at three, while Ali Mockenhaupt took the loss to drop to 3-5 on the season.

Game two saw the Cardinals take a 1-0 lead in the first, holding the Bluejays off the board until the fourth. That's when Bailey Proffitt knocked an infield single to first, scoring the first run of the game for Elmhurst. In the following inning, a single up the middle from Chiara O'Leary gave Elmhurst a 2-1 advantage through five innings. With O'Leary also on the mound, North Central would plate a run in the sixth to knot the game at two each and both teams would fail to rally together a run, sending the game to extras.

In the ninth, Mockenhaupt would leadoff with a double into left field and advanced to third on a passed ball. After a Brenna Morley walk and a wild pitch put runners on second and third, O'Leary would finish off the game herself with an RBI single to the left-center field gap, her third hit of the game, to walk it off for the Jays and earn her the win in the circle, improving to 4-10 on the season.

UP NEXT

Elmhurst returns home this weekend for a pair of doubleheaders, beginning with hosting the North Park Vikings on Saturday, April 27, with the twinbill beginning at 12:00 p.m. from Salt Creek Park.

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