From University of Chicago Athletics
The University of Chicago baseball team wrapped up its season-opening weekend with a two-game split by beating Elmhurst College and falling to Illinois Wesleyan University on Sunday.
The Maroons ran their record to 2-2.
UChicago 13, Elmhurst 12
The bats broke out in game one, pounding out 19 hits and scoring 13 runs. Four different players had three hits each – sophomore outfielder Connor Hickey (three RBI), senior first baseman Thomas Prescott (one RBI), sophomore designated hitter Brady Sarkon (two RBI) and sophomore outfielder Josh Parks (two RBI). Hickey posted two triples and junior outfielder Maximiliano Larsen knocked two doubles.
The Maroons scored in all but one inning. They tallied one run in each of the opening four innings with RBI by Prescott, Hickey, Sarkon and freshman catcher Payton Jancsy. However, entering the bottom of the sixth, UChicago found itself trailing 9-4. The deficit was short lived. The Maroon bats tied it up with five runs in the frame. Larsen doubled in two, Sarkon posted a sacrifice fly and Parks rocked a two-run homer – the first of his collegiate career.
After Elmhurst scored twice in the seventh, UChicago responded with three more in the bottom of the frame. Hickey's triple drove in two and Jancsy's groundout brought him home. Sophomore shortstop Justin Lo provided a needed insurance run in the eighth. The Bluejays threatened with an RBI double in the ninth, but sophomore pitcher Alex McGimpsey forced a groundout to end the game and get the save.
Junior Chase Packard picked up the win in 1.2 innings of relief pitching. Sophomore pitcher Joe Liberman got the start with two innings of work, three strikeouts and two unearned runs. Freshman Nate Hendley threw 3.1 innings of relief.
Illinois Wesleyan 16, UChicago 6
The final game of the weekend went poorly from the get-go. The Titans scored six in the first inning and six more in the second to put the game out of reach.
UChicago scored one in the first, two in the fourth and three in the sixth. Hickey crossed home plate on a wild pitch to open things up. Lo's two-run single, a run-scoring error and RBI base knocks by Hickey and Larsen accounted for the Maroon scoring.
Hickey (one RBI), Larsen (one RBI) and Lo (two RBI) each collected two hits. UChicago finished with nine hits offensively.
Freshman pitcher Daniel Smith took the loss in his collegiate debut, working one inning as the starter. Prescott (3 IP), junior Ricardo Fernandez (1 IP) and freshman Patrick Rogers(1 IP, 3 K) accounted for the remainder of the game.