Baseball Falls at Rockford on Friday
MONMOUTH, Ill (03/20/2026) — The Monmouth College baseball team returned to the field on Friday with a newly scheduled contest at Rockford. The Fighting Scots (4-11) scored first but ultimately lost 13-4 to the Regents.
The game was scoreless with two outs in the top of the second when Logan Straube (Wheaton, Illinois) drew a walk. Zach Almaguer's (Monmouth, Illinois) first career triple gave the Scots a 1-0 lead before the Regents got out of the inning.
Rockford put a big inning on the board against Ethan Zaayenga (Tremont, Illinois) in the second, A single, double and error tied the game and a groundout made it 2-1. After a walk, three doubles put the hosts on top 6-1.
Gabriel Zeigler-Harris (East Peoria, Illinois) doubled to start the third and Eric Campen (Washington, Illinois) reached on an error. Zeigler-Harris came home as Aiden Scott (Carrollton, Texas) hit into a double play.
Rockford scored an unearned run off Roy Ralston (Macon, Illinois) in the fourth inning. Hunter Wheat (Athens, Illinois) singled with one out in the fifth and he moved to second on a passed ball. Campen doubled to cut the Rockford lead to 7-3.
With one out in the sixth, Cade Farquer (Williamsfield, Illinois) reached on a 3-base error in right field. Jace Wilkerson (East Peoria, Illinois made it 7-4 with a RBI groundout. The Scots brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh after a pair of errors and a wild pitch but a strikeout ended the threat.
Rockford made it 8-4 with a solo homer off Brandon Coats (Mapleton, Illinois) in the seventh. They added three more in the inning after an error and made it 13-4 with another home run in the eighth.
Zaayenga (0-4) took the loss as he allowed six runs, four earned, on six hits over two innings of work. He struck out one and walked one. Ralston allowed one unearned run on two hits over four innings as he struck out 10 and walked one. Coats allowed six runs, three earned, on six hits and two walks over two innings as he struck out two.
MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Campen has hit safely in 10 straight games ... Zeigler-Harris had two hits for his third multi-hit game of the season ... Ralston tied his career record with 10 strikeouts which he also accomplished last April against Grinnell ... Ralston has 37 strikeouts in 27 innings this season ... He has struck out at least eight batters in three straight outings ... The teams had not met since Monmouth won in 2013 ... The Regents lead the all-time series 6-5 ... After having two home games canceled by weather this week, the Scots home opener is set for Saturday as they host MWC foe Ripon in a Noon double header.