JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – Battling strong winds throughout the day at Joe Brooks Field, the Illinois College baseball team mounted a late rally but ultimately fell to Elmhurst 13-9 on Sunday afternoon.
The Blueboys move to 8–5 on the season and Elmhurst improves to 5-6.
Elmhurst 13 Illinois College 9
Elmhurst jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the first inning before erupting for five runs in the second to take a 7-0 advantage.
Illinois College responded in the third inning as Josh Morales and Nathan Walker opened the frame with singles. Tyler Barker was then hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Ketch Mills drove in the Blueboys' first run with an RBI single. Nolan Decker and Jacoby Gross followed with RBI singles to trim the deficit to 7-3.
Elmhurst added three runs in the sixth inning to extend the lead to 10-3 and later pushed the margin to 13-3 with a three-run home run in the eighth.
The Blueboys answered with a big rally in the bottom of the eighth. Ketch Mills was hit by a pitch to start the inning and Nolan Decker followed with a single. Jacoby Gross then reached on an error that allowed Mills to score before Logan Fleener delivered the biggest swing of the day with a three-run home run to left, trimming the deficit to 13-7.
Illinois College kept the rally going as Ethan Klunk drew a walk and Nathan Walker doubled to right center. Nicholas Muskopf followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home another run, and Tyler Barker added an RBI single to make it 13-9.
The Blueboys finished with 12 hits in the contest. Muskopf led the way with three hits, while Walker and Nolan Decker each added two. Logan Fleener drove in three runs with his eighth-inning homer.
On the mound, Parker Phillis started for Illinois College and worked five innings, striking out six. Coy Dettmer, Koeyn DeClercq, and Evan Cooper combined to finish the game in relief.
Up Next
The Blueboys are back home for another non-conference double header on Wednesday, March 18th as they welcome in Westminster College for a doubleheader starting at 12:00pm.
