Sauget, Illinois 3/1/2026–The Westminster Blue Jays continued their month-long road trip in Sauget, Illinois, playing four games against MSOE and Central College. Fresh off a 19-run offensive outburst against Augustana College, the Jays look to carry that momentum into Illinois once again.
Game 1. L 6-7
The first game of their four-game weekend was Friday against MSOE (Milwaukee School of Engineering). The offense took no time at all to rekindle their red-hot bats from earlier in the week as
Brett Montgomery cleared the bases with a double in the top of the first inning.
The Raiders bounced back against Jack Page, scoring six against the righty over the next five innings. One inning later, MSOE scored the eventual game-winning run on an error. An Aden Pecka single would cut the deficit to one, but it was too little too late, and the Jays opened their long weekend with a 6-7 loss.
Game 2. L 1-11
The Blue Jays came out slowly Saturday morning against the Central College Big Red and sophomore pitcher Jackson Torbit. The hot-hitting Blue Jay bats of the past couple of games were unrecognizable in this one, only collecting one hit, an
Aden Pecka triple, and one run, which came from
Troy Romero grounding out, scoring Pecka.
Outside of that lone hit, the Jays went a collective 0-21 with only one walk. The pitching did not fare much better, as the staff's rough start to the season continued, allowing 11 earned runs in the seven-inning contest. The game ended early in an 11-1 mercy rule loss. The Jays would need to bounce back later in the day, rematching with MSOE.
Game 3. W 14-4
Following the abysmal performance to start the day, the previously unrecognizable Blue Jays' offense returned to form. The bats were hot immediately, as
Troy Romero led off the game with a double, already matching the team's hit total from the last game. The Jays built on that momentum, scoring seven in the opening frame to take a resounding lead.
On the mound, the big lefty, Blake Althuisius, gave the Jays exactly what they needed, pitching into the sixth, giving up only two earned and striking out nine. The bullpen picked up right where he left off, allowing only one additional run.
The Jays' offense still had more in the tank after the big first inning, tacking up seven more runs before the game's eighth inning mercy rule end. They were led by
Braden Eye, who continued his early-season dominance, going 2-4 with a homer and a double,
Troy Romero's 3-4 effort, and
Aden Pecka adding onto a great weekend, going 3-5.
The Blue Jays took this one in the way of mercy rule, winning 14-4, and looked to split their road trip with a win later in the day with another matchup against Central.
Game 4. L 3-6
Coach Jake Jourdain, in an effort to preserve an already taxed bullpen and disrupt the Big Red offense, went with an opener to start the weekend finale. Sophomore
Tayden Harlow, typically used as a reliever in his young college career, got the starting nod and, as most openers do, worked just one inning, allowing one run.
Contrasting the soft-throwing Harlow, hard-throwing senior Derek Archer followed and pitched the next 5.1 innings. Archer was nearly spotless through the first 3 innings, giving up only one unearned run, but ran into trouble in the fifth, as Central put together a two-out rally, scoring two, to take the lead. Central would add two additional runs in the seventh to end Archer's day.
On the offensive side, the Jays were unable to deliver the timely hit they needed, scoring only three runs while leaving seven runners on base and striking out 11 times. Even with the unique pitching matchup the Jays forced upon Central, it wasn't enough, as the Blue Jays would drop this one 3-6 to finish the long weekend going just 1-3.
This weekend proved telling for the Blue Jays. The lineup is undeniably dangerous and extremely deep, having shown flashes of their potential, scoring over 15 runs on multiple occasions against very solid pitching staffs. The same can be said for the pitching staff, as the rotation is home to several hard-throwing, high-potential arms who have proven they have the upside to be all-conference caliber pitchers.
However, the issue isn't the talent; it is consistency, a trait that separates bad teams from good ones, and good teams from great ones. It is extremely hard to find consistency while playing your first 12 games on the road, an average of 4 hours away from home, while also having limited practice options due to the cold Fulton weather.
That said, the Blue Jays will open conference play next weekend with a road series against Eureka College on March 7 and 8. The start of conference play, combined with the gradual shift toward spring conditions, could provide the reset the Jays need to turn potential into results and establish the consistency required to win the games that matter.
