Junior infielder Joe Kennedy is tagged by Augusta College’s third baseman. Photo by Emily Mohney
After winning the first game of the doubleheader against Augustana College 5-2, the Elmhurst College baseball team dropped the second game 4-2 to split the series to open up conference play on March 31.
Senior Joe Luft held off the Vikings for eight innings in the first game while the Bluejays gained a 5-0 advantage. Augustana added two runs pushing the final score to 5-2.
“We played well and got good pitching all day,” said head coach Joel Southern. “We got a very good relief performance by [freshman] Erik Swanson in the first game, [as well].”
Sophomore Eric Stevenson is credited with one RBI, while juniors Marc Shield and Joe Kennedy are each credited with two in the first game.
In the second game, the Bluejays trailed 3-0 before senior Jake Bronkema hit a run-scoring single.
The Bluejays were able to bat in one more run before the end of the seventh but Augustana tacked on a fourth run in the eighth inning. Their relief pitcher, Josiah Martin, struck out the last six Bluejays hitters ending the game with a 4-2 victory.
“We had two good starts by Luft and [sophomore] Hanlon,” said Southern. “We just didn’t take advantage of our opportunities in the second game, but that’s baseball.”
The Bluejays’ next home game is April 3 at Butterfield Park against Wheaton College.
