Elmhurst 8, North Central 4
W: L. Banaszynski (3-4) L: P. Diaz (4-4)
HR: Cervantes (1) Smith (1) Truong (1) Konrad (1)
Elmhurst, IL - Elmhurst baseball brought power to the plate with a 8-4 win over northcentral, highlighted by a string of home runs that shifted momentum early. The Bluejays opened their scoring with back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning, as Javier Cervantes launched a two-run RBI followed immediately by a solo homer from Rock Smith to even the game at 3-3. Elmhurst kept the pressure on in the fifth when Landon Truong added another solo home run, followed by another at bat that struck again in the seventh with Zach Konrad delivering a three-run homer to break the game open.
After falling behind 3-0 early, Elmhurst chipped away and then took control through the middle innings. The fourth inning rally by Cervantes, and Smith erased the deficit, matched with Truong's homer and an RBI groundout from Brett Vercruysse pushed Elmhurst ahead 5-3. The game remained tight until the seventh, when Elmhurst strung together discipline before Konrad's three-run blast capped off a three-run inning, extending the lead to 8-4 and sealing the momentum.
At the plate, Elmhurst tallied 10 hits and eight runs, with touches throughout the lineup. Evan Johnson led the way with a 3-for-4 performance and two runs scored, while Adan Nieves added two hits and two runs. Konrad finished with a three-RBI performance, while Cervantes drove in two runs and two RBI's. Truong and Smith each added an RBI on their home runs. Vercruysse also tabbed an RBI, to round out a balanced offensive effort. The Bluejays recorded four walks and limited strikeouts to capitalize on the win!
On the mound, Landon Banaszynski earned the win after throwing 5.0 innings, allowing four hits and three runs while striking out six. Logan Leach followed with 2.0 innings of relief, allowing just one run on two hits, Marty Fraga closed out the final two innings without allowing a run, surrendering only one hit to secure the victory.
Elmhurst returns to action on the road tomorrow for a doubleheader against North Central, with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
