GAME STATS 1 | GAME STATS 2 PICTURED ABOVE: Justin Zeller collected four hits on Tuesday.

GAME 1 BOXSCORE: Elmhurst 4, Wheaton 2

GAME 2 BOXSCORE: Elmhurst 6, Wheaton 4

Elmhurst, Ill. - The Wheaton baseball team dropped a pair of games in a conference doubleheader at Elmhurst College on Tuesday. The Bluejays won the opener 4-2 and the hosts took the nightcap 6-4.

Wheaton is now 11-10 on the year, with a 1-4 CCIW record and Elmhurst is 12-6, with a 4-1 conference record. The Thunder will remain in conference play with a single CCIW contest at North Park on Friday at 1 PM.

Elmhurst won the opener 4-2, as the Bluejays scored four runs, on 10 hits, with no errors and Wheaton plated two runs, on eight hits, with two errors. Wheaton starting pitcher Jimmy McDonald (0-1) took the loss in 7-2/3 innings. He allowed four runs, on 10 hits, with two strikeouts and one walk. Phillip Tuttle pitched one third of an inning of scoreless relief. Senior Austin Driggers and sophomore Taylor Howe each went 2-for-4 to lead the Thunder offense.

Wheaton took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when junior Trey Martin hit a solo home, his team-best eighth round-tripper of the year. Elmhurst plated one run in the bottom of the third inning to tie the game at 1-1 and the Bluejays took a 2-1 lead with a run in the bottom of the third inning. The hosts extended their lead to 3-1 with a run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Wheaton trimmed the Bluejays' lead to 3-2 with a run in the top of the seventh inning as Desmond Cato led off the seventh with a single and later scored on a Ryan Miller sacrifice fly. Elmhurst added its final run of the game in the bottom of the seventh inning to account for the final score of 4-2.

The Bluejays won the twinbill finale 6-4 as the Bluejays scored six runs, on 13 hits, with two errors and Wheaton scored four runs, on 10 hits, with two errors. Starting pitcher (1-1) Andrew Bayer took the loss in five innings of work. Bayer allowed five runs, including four earned runs, on 10 hits, with two walks and two strikeouts. Freshman Casey Moll worked three innings of relief, allowing one run, on three hits, with one walk. Senior centerfielder Justin Zeller was 3-for-4, with two RBI and a run scored. Miller was 2-for-3, with a run scored and a stolen base.

Elmhurst scored three runs in the bottom of the third inning to take a 3-0 lead on the Thunder. Wheaton countered with a run in the top of the fourth inning, as Zeller drove in a run on a RBI-single to centerfield to tie the game at 3-3. Elmhurst scored a run in the bottom of the fourth inning to regain the lead with a 4-3 edge.

Elmhurst increased its lead to 6-3 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Zeller led off the top of the seventh inning with a walk and scored later in the inning on a RBI-single by Cato that trimmed the Bluejays' to 4-6. However, that was the closest Wheaton would get as the Elmhurst closed out the game to earn the win and the doubleheader sweep.