ELMHURST, Ill. – On a brisk Wednesday afternoon, the Elmhurst University softball team wrapped up its home slate with a doubleheader against a red-hot Dominican University squad. Despite flashes of offensive and defensive promise, the Bluejays were unable to contain the Stars' deep and disciplined lineup, falling 11-1 in five innings in game one and 4-1 in game two.
In the opener, Dominican broke a scoreless tie in explosive fashion with a seven-run third inning that swung momentum completely in favor of the visitors. The Stars sent 11 batters to the plate in the frame, stringing together six hits—including a two-run triple by Ra. Davis and a pair of RBI singles from Ry. Davis and Butler. Elmhurst responded in the bottom half when Hailee Jenkins reached on an error and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Gianna Amundsen, but the damage had been done.
Dominican tacked on an insurance run in the fourth on an RBI double by S. Cornell and added three more in the fifth, including a run that came home on a wild pitch and another on a passed ball. The Bluejays struggled to build momentum against Dominican ace E. Woodhouse (16-4), who allowed just one unearned run on four hits in four innings while striking out four.
Elmhurst's top offensive performance in game one came from Brenna Morley, who went 2-for-3 with a double and a stolen base. Bailey Proffitt added a hit and also swiped a base, while Bella Swift and Jenkins each contributed singles. Starter Emma Lenczewski (1-6) was tagged with the loss after allowing seven runs over 2.1 innings, while Kylie Hoyh came on in relief to toss the final 2.2 frames.
Game two saw a more measured Dominican offense, but the visitors were still able to chip away throughout the early innings. The Stars struck first in the opening frame as Ra. Davis singled home L. Santoyo. After a scoreless second, Dominican doubled its lead in the third on a RBI single from P. Rutter. A two-run single by K. Amormino in the fourth gave the Stars a 4-0 cushion despite her being thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double.
Elmhurst threatened in the later innings and got on the board in the sixth when Morley led off with a triple and came home on a base hit from Ali Mockenhaupt. The Bluejays, however, were unable to rally further as Dominican's R. Rubio (8-2) worked around a leadoff walk in the seventh to finish her complete-game win. Rubio struck out six while scattering three hits.
Mockenhaupt led Elmhurst in game two with a hit, an RBI, and a walk. Morley stayed hot at the plate, adding her third hit of the day, while Kaylee Aimone also notched a single. In the circle, Chiara O'Leary (1-8) delivered a gritty complete-game effort, yielding just four earned runs while tossing 89 efficient pitches.
