CHICAGO, Ill. - On a chilly Saturday doubleheader in Chicago, Elmhurst and North Park split a pair of tightly contested games at Holmgren Athletic Complex.

North Park took game one with a 3-2 victory behind a strong outing from Jackson Nuese, while Elmhurst responded with a high-scoring 10-9 win in the second game, thanks in large part to Carson Gnade's four-hit, four-RBI performance and Evan Johnson's late three-run homer.

In the opener, Elmhurst fell just short despite a ninth-inning push. The Bluejays managed only three hits, but they made them count. Evan Johnson drove in the first run with a double in the fourth, scoring Tommy Wichgers, and Carson Gnade gave Elmhurst life in the ninth with a solo homer to center. Unfortunately, that was all Elmhurst could muster against a solid North Park staff. Jackson Nuese earned the win with 7.2 innings of one-hit ball, striking out eight while working around four walks and three hit batters. Zach Price picked up the save after recording the final out. Jack Krueger pitched well for Elmhurst, surrendering just two runs over seven innings, but he took the loss after North Park struck early with a pair of runs in the first. Reyn Matsuzaki lifted a sac fly and Enzo Vertucci added an RBI single to open the scoring. Matsuzaki later homered in the eighth, which proved to be the difference-maker in a low-scoring affair.

Elmhurst's top contributors in game one were Gnade, who came off the bench to homer, and Johnson, who notched an RBI double. Wichgers reached base twice and stole a pair of bases, while Krueger provided a quality start despite the loss. The Bluejays' offense was held quiet until the late innings, and a lone defensive error by Marty Fraga in center did not lead to any North Park runs.

Game two, however, was a very different story, as the Elmhurst bats came alive in a back-and-forth slugfest. After falling behind 1-0 in the first, Gnade tied the game in the second with his second homer of the day, this time a solo shot to right-center. North Park briefly regained the lead on a solo homer from Vinnie Marvucic, but Elmhurst responded again in the fourth with a sacrifice fly from Noah Rasmussen. A three-run fifth from North Park, highlighted by a two-run homer from Matsuzaki and a solo blast from Nate Sommerfeld, pushed the hosts ahead 5-2. But Elmhurst had an answer.

In the sixth, Johnson reached and scored on Gnade's second homer of the game—this one a two-run blast to right field—cutting the deficit to 5-4. Although North Park added another run in the bottom half, Elmhurst surged ahead with a three-run seventh. Johnson tied the game on a fielder's choice, Gnade doubled home another run, and Rasmussen's second sac fly of the day made it 7-6 Elmhurst. North Park knotted things up once more in the bottom of the frame with an RBI single by Marvucic, but Elmhurst had one more surge left.

In the ninth, with two men on, Johnson crushed a three-run homer to right, giving Elmhurst a 10-7 lead. North Park tried to rally again, getting a two-run single from Rylan Kawakami in the bottom of the ninth, but Joseph Ingratta held on to secure his first win of the season in relief.

Elmhurst's offense in game two was driven by the top half of the lineup. Johnson went 2-for-4 with four runs scored and four RBIs, including the game-winning homer, while Gnade was the star of the day, going 4-for-4 with two home runs, a double, and four RBIs. Brett Vercruysse added two hits and a stolen base, and Rasmussen drove in two key runs with sacrifice flies. On the mound, Elmhurst pieced it together with four pitchers, with Ingratta tossing 2.2 innings to finish the game and earn the win.

With the split, Elmhurst moved to 9-23 on the season, while North Park settled at 11-17. The Bluejays showed resilience and power in bouncing back from a tight loss, setting the stage for a competitive series finale.

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