ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - Elmhurst and Augustana (Ill.) split a dramatic Saturday doubleheader in Moline, with the Bluejays dropping the opener 4-2 before bouncing back for a thrilling 12-inning, 9-8 victory in game two. Game one was a story of early offense and missed opportunities for Elmhurst, while game two turned into a marathon of momentum swings, clutch hitting, and a gritty extra-innings win that ended a tough skid for the Bluejays.
In the opener, Elmhurst briefly seized momentum in the second inning but couldn't overcome a steady Augustana attack. Despite both teams collecting eight hits, Augustana made theirs count, while the Bluejays left nine runners on base. Calvin Keith and Blake Gould led the Elmhurst offense with two hits apiece, while Erik Malott drove in a run and reached base twice. Starting pitcher Charlie Smith went six innings, giving up four earned runs and taking the loss to fall to 1-5, though he was solid outside of a rough second frame. Jack Krueger provided two clean innings in relief.
The scoring began in the first when Augustana's Hackman doubled to left center to bring home R. Hendren. Elmhurst quickly responded in the top of the second: Calvin Keith singled and scored on a base hit by Malott, and then Brett Vercruyss reached on a throwing error that allowed Blake Gould to come around and give Elmhurst a 2-1 lead. However, the Vikings answered right back in the bottom half with a sac fly by A. McGinnis and an RBI single by R. Coon to retake the lead, 3-2. Augustana added insurance in the sixth when A. Simon singled home another run. From there, their bullpen—led by DeMarlie, Fischer, and closer Southwick—shut the door, allowing just two hits over the final three innings. Elmhurst's bats went quiet, stranding runners in the sixth and seventh and failing to mount a comeback.
Game two was a completely different story—an epic back-and-forth battle that saw Elmhurst show tremendous resolve. The Bluejays piled up 17 hits, led by Marty Fraga's explosive 4-for-6 day with three runs scored and Brett Vercruyss's clutch 3-RBI performance. Rock Smith added two hits and two RBIs, while Logan Bryant contributed two hits, two runs, and an RBI. Carson Gnade, who started the day in the field, earned the win on the mound with two scoreless innings in extras, escaping a 10th-inning jam and finishing strong in the 12th.
Elmhurst opened the scoring in the first on a fielder's choice by Smith, but Augustana responded in the third with RBIs from Coon and Bergin. The fourth inning marked Elmhurst's offensive explosion—five runs poured in on five hits, including a two-run single by Vercruyss and an RBI knock by Smith to make it 6-2. The Vikings chipped away across the middle innings, scoring twice in both the fifth and sixth frames to tie the game 6-6, and then took a 7-6 lead in the seventh on Coon's RBI single. Elmhurst clawed back in the ninth with a game-tying RBI single by Keith, and then took an 8-7 lead in the 10th on another hit from Vercruyss. Augustana again responded with a sac fly from Simon to send it to the 11th. Finally, in the 12th, Fraga scored on a passed ball—an unearned but decisive run that gave Elmhurst the lead for good. Gnade held the line in the bottom half, sealing an exhausting but rewarding victory.
