Elmhurst Baseball Drops to 12-27 in Midst of Losing Streak

The Elmhurst University baseball team could not keep pace with an explosive North Park University offense on Wednesday, April 29, falling 8-13 in a conference matchup that quickly got out of hand. With the loss, EU dropped to 10-26 overall and 4-13 in conference play. The Bluejays are amid their sixth straight losing season and are looking to win over 10 games for the first time since 2023.

Ironically, the Bluejays could not have asked for a better start. EU started off the contest erupting for a six-run first inning, stringing together only four hits but capitalizing on walks, a hit by pitch, and timely extra base hits, throwing off NPU.

RBI contributions came from Brett Vercruysse, Rock Smith, Timothy O’Connell, Colin Adams, and Marty Fraga, whose two-run triple highlighted the inning and gave EU an early 6–0 advantage.  North Park began chipping away in the third inning, plating three runs on a series of singles and a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit in half. From there, the game shifted decisively.

A chaotic fourth inning saw EU give up five runs, many of them self-inflicted. Defensive miscues, along with wild pitches and missed opportunities to get out of the inning, allowed NPU to take their first lead of the game at 8-7.

From that point forward, momentum never really swung back. NPU added two more RBIs on a fifth-inning home run and continued to capitalize on defensive miscues, finishing with 13 runs despite not overwhelming EU with sheer volume of hits. Multiple unearned runs and extended innings proved costly for the Bluejays, who struggled to stop rallies once they began.

The 13-8 loss can reflect both promise and frustration. On one hand, scoring eight runs, especially against a competitive conference opponent, demonstrates that the lineup is capable of producing when they’re at 100%. On the other hand, allowing 13 runs, many of them fueled by defensive mistakes and free bases, highlights the issues that have defined EU’s season. When they hit, the pitching struggles. When they can pitch well, they can’t hit.

Now amid their streak of losing seasons, the Bluejays have struggled to find a consistent balance. Offensive flashes, like the six-run first inning, have been overshadowed by inconsistent pitching and defensive mistakes.

The team aimed to finish strong and carry momentum into the offseason, playing North Central College on May 1 and May 2. EU ended a six-game losing streak with a 8-4 win against NCC on May 1.

The Bluejays closed out their season with a record of 12-27.