JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – Illinois College split a doubleheader with Elmhurst on Saturday at Joe Brooks Field, earning a 7-6 victory in the opener before falling 6-2 in the second game.
Illinois College moves to 8-4 on the season while Elmhurst moves to 4-6.
Game One – Illinois College 7 Elmhurst 6
The Blueboys used a big fifth inning and held off a late rally to secure a 7-6 victory in the opener.
Elmhurst struck first in the second inning, but Illinois College answered immediately in the bottom half when Alex Loman delivered an RBI double to score Jacoby Gross and tie the game.
The Blueboys broke the game open in the fifth. Adam Turner singled home a run before Ketch Mills launched a three-run home run to give Illinois College a 5-1 lead.
Illinois College added two more runs in the seventh after a defensive miscue allowed Nathan Walker and Tyler Barker to score, pushing the advantage to 7-1.
Elmhurst mounted a comeback late, scoring twice in the eighth and adding a three-run homer in the ninth, but the Blueboys held on to secure the win.
Mills led the offense with three RBIs, while Loman collected two hits and an RBI. Turner added a hit and an RBI, and Barker scored twice.
On the mound, Dawson Vernier earned the win after allowing one run over seven innings while striking out four. Chase Schrader and Connor Akstulewicz combined to finish the game in relief.
Game Two – Elmhurst 6 Illinois College 2
Elmhurst used a five-run stretch across the fourth and fifth innings to take game two.
The Blue Jays opened the scoring in the fourth before capitalizing on an error in the fifth inning that helped extend the frame and allowed three unearned runs to cross the plate.
Elmhurst added two more runs in the sixth to build a 6-0 advantage.
Illinois College responded in the sixth inning when Nicholas Muskopf connected on a two-run home run that brought home Nathan Walker to cut the deficit to four, but the Blueboys were unable to close the gap.
Walker led the Blueboys with three hits in the game, while Muskopf finished with two RBIs. Tyler Barker and Ketch Mills also added hits.
Anthony Buonaura took the loss after allowing four runs, one earned, over 4.1 innings. Aidan Lougeay, Michael Larson, and Landon Sloan combined for the final 4.2 innings in relief.
Up Next
Illinois College will face Elmhurst tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m. in the final game of the series.
