ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst University baseball team dropped a slugfest, 12-8, with Millikin Sunday afternoon at Butterfield Park.
Elmhurst (9-26, 3-13 CCIW) and Millikin (24-12, 14-3 CCIW) combined for 20 runs, 34 hits, and 12 extra-base hits in the extra-inning marathon, with all lead changes coming via the long ball. However, a grand slam from the Big Blue ultimately proved to be the difference in the game, with Millikin taking it in extras.
Senior
Cole Bozzi earned the start and did not factor into the pitching decision, tossing six innings giving up four runs while adding three strikeouts.Â
Millikin got out to an early 4-0 lead through four innings, bit a
Marty Fraga two-RBI single in the fourth cut the Bluejay deficit in half, 4-2. Later, in the fifth inning, back-to-back singles from
Freddie March and
Jaden Mitchell set the table for
Blake Gould, who clobbered a home run over the left field fence to give Elmhurst a 5-4 lead, which would grown to two in the sixth after Fraga scored on a wild pitch.
Millikin again responded in the seventh and eighth innings, with a two-run home run and an RBI-double, followed by a sacrifice fly again gave Millikin an 8-6 lead heading into the Jays' half of the eighth inning. There, senior
Zach Kolb launched a two-run home run to knot the game at eight, a score that would stand through the ninth inning and into the 10th inning.
In the 11th inning, Millikin was able to hit on a grand slam to straightaway center field to take a 12-8 lead, a lead they would hold on to for good.
The Bluejays honored nine seniors prior to Sunday's game:
Zach Kolb,
Eric Zbinden,
Zach Keplar,
Jesse James,
Lucas Cunningham,
Cole Bozzi,
Freddie March,
Blake Gould, and
Cody Baker.
UP NEXT
Elmhurst welcomes Illinois Wesleyan to Butterfield Park this Wednesday, May 1 for a 4:00 p.m. first pitch.
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