Baseball Clinches MWC Tournament Berth With Saturday Split

Scots still alive to host tournament

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (05/04/2025) — The Monmouth College baseball team split a double header at Ripon on Saturday and clinched a spot in the Midwest Conference Tournament next weekend, The Fighting Scots (17-19, 12-8) last made the MWC Tournament in 2019 when they hosted, and could still host thie year with a win and losses by Lawrence and Beloit on Sunday.

"It means a lot to be in the tournament after being picked seventh out of eight teams in the preseason poll," said head coach Alan Betourne. "This team and our staff have been putting in a lot of work this year to get back to the tournament. It hasn't been easy and we are looking forward to next weekend."

Alexander Dye (Albuquerque, New Mexico) doubled with two outs in the top of the first but was stranded in scoring position. The Red Hawks took a 1-0 lead against Ethan Zaayenga (Tremont, Illinois) in the bottom of the inning with a walk and two singles.

Daniel Lummus (New Port Richey, Florida) singled with one out in the third but was left at first base. Ripon scored a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the inning with an error, double and sacrifice fly.

Monmouth got on the board in the fourth. Raul Guillermo (Miami, Florida) doubled, Clayton Matkovic (Monmouth, Illinois) singled and Aidan Parkins (Monmouth, Illinois) drove in a run with a fielders' choice. Parkins moved to second but was stranded there as Ripon escaped the inning.

Another Monmouth error led to Ripon scoring two more runs in the fourth. Gabe Zeigler-Harris (East Peoria, Illinois) doubled to start the fifth and Nate Reed (Chenoa, Illinois) walked with one out but a double play ended the inning. Guillermo walked in the sixth and Parkins singled but another double play ended the threat.

Down 5-1, Lummus walked with two outs in the seventh and scored on a double by Reed. Dye reached on an error as Reed scored and he moved to second on a wild pitch. Ripon pitched to Guillermo with a base open and the Scots slugger made them pay with a game-tying, opposite field home run, his ninth of the season.

Parkins started the eighth with a walk and was safe at second as Aiden Scott (Carrollton, Texas) reached on a fielders' choice. Monmouth took the lead as Parkins scored on an error before Eric Campen (Washington, Illinois) was hit by a pitch. Reed walked to load the bases with two outs but a strikeout ended the inning with the Scots up 6-5.

Owen Wolfe (Galesburg, Illinois) took over on the mound and got the first out of the eighth inning. A single and stolen base put a runner on second with two outs. A single to right tied the game before Lummus threw out a pinch-runner trying to steal to end the inning.

Guillermo led off the ninth with a single and Drew Brown (Alexis, Illinois) took over as the pinch runner. Matkovic sacrificed and was safe on a throwing error as Brown made it all the way to third. Matkovic stole second and both runners scored as Scott doubled for an 8-6 lead. Zeigler-Harris bunted for a single to put runners on the corners with two outs. Lummus gave the Scots a 9-6 lead with a single up the middle and Reed doubled home two more for an 11-6 lead. Dye added another run as he singled home Reed. Reid Stufflebeem (Galesburg, Illinois) pinch-hit and walked before Ripon finally got out of the inning.

Wolfe shut the Red Hawks down in the ninth and Lummus ended the game with another runner thrown out trying to steal. Wolfe (4-1) picked up the win with two innings of work and one run allowed. Zaayenga allowed two earned runs on five hits over a season-high seven innings while striking out two.

GAME TWO

Despite being eliminated from the MWC Tournament race with the game one loss, Ripon took an early lead against Monmouth starter Roy Ralston (Macon, Illinois). An Monmouth error in the first led to one run and the hosts added three more runs in the third to lead 4-0.

Hunter Wheat (Athens, Illinois) walked in the third inning as Monmouth's first base runner He moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a double by Lummus before Ripon got out of the inning.

A leadoff double and 2-out single put Ripon back up by four in the bottom of the third inning. Matkovic led off the fourth with a single and Stufflebeem reached on an error. Scott walked to load the bases with two outs but a strikeout ended the inning.

Guillermo led off the sixth with a single and Stufflebeem singled with one out. Guillermo scored on a double by Parkins and Scott drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Campen walked to put the tying run on base but a strikeout ended the inning.

The Red Hawks tallied two runs off Caleb Ochs (Royal, Illinois) in the sixth and took a 7-3 lead into the eighth. The first six Ripon batters reached off Heath Hornke (Normal, Illinois) and a 2-run double ended the game on the run-rule, 13-3.

Ralston (2-4) took the loss, allowing three earned runs over five innings. He struck out seven while both Ochs and Hornke pitched an inning.

The Scots are a game behind Lawrence (13-7) and Beloit (13-7) but have the tiebreakers on both teams, meaning if they both lose on Sunday and Monmouth wins, the Scots host the tournament. Grinnell (11-9) is the fourth team who clinched on Saturday and they are locked into the #4 seed. Lawrence has the tiebreaker over Beloit and would host if both teams win on Sunday.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Guillermo has a 14-game hit streak with hits in both games ...He became the Monmouth career leader in total bases on Saturday, passing Ryan Sparks' total of 278 from 2014-17 ... He also moved from 7th to 2nd on the TB season list with 90 ... Guillermo's game one homer moved him into a tie for fourth on the single-season list with nine and also moved him past Jesse Brucker for second on the single-season RBI list with 43 ... Guillermo moved into fifth on the single-season doubles list and 20th on the single-season hits list ... Lummus moved into eighth on the single-season runs list and 16th on the hits list ... He is tied for 13th in career games played ... He also jumped to seventh on the career hits list passing Grant Myers and Ryan Priola ... Reed drew two walks in game one and is now tied for third on the career list with 79,, ... Wolfe moved into a tie for seventh on the games pitched in a season list with 16Lummus, Guillermo, Matkovic and Parkins had hits in both games ... Zaayenga threw a season-high seven innings, one out shy of his career high from last year ... Monmouth last made the MWC Tournament in 2019 when they hosted for a second straight season ... The Scots made nine straight MWCT appearenaces 2000-09 and went back in 2011 ... The all-time series is tied 25-25 and Monmouth had a 5-game win streak against the Red Hawks snapped in game two ... Monmouth had a 3-game sweep at home last year and went 1-2 in Wisconsin in 2023 ... The teams play the final regular season game of the campaign at Noon on Sunday.