Guillermo Breaks Home Run Record as Scots Split with Knox

Senior clubs his 20th career homer in game one win

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (04/12/2025) — The Monmouth College baseball team split a DH with rival Knox on Saturday as both teams won via the run rule with 18-3 and 18-8 final scores. The Fighting Scots (10-16, 5-5) won the opener as Raul Guillermo (Miami, Florida) became the school's career home run leader with his 20th.

Clayton Matkovic (Sherrard, Illinois) started the second with a single and moved to third on a double by Aidan Parkins (Monmouth, Illinois). Matkovic scored on a wild pitch to give the Scots the lead and Aiden Scott (Carrollton, Texas) made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly.

Monmouth starter Ethan Zaayenga (Tremont, Illinois) set down the first six batters he faced before a single started the third. A double play helped the Scots keep the Prairie Fire off the board and the visitors also stranded a pair.

Nate Reed (Chenoa, Illinois) led off the third with a single to left and Alexander Dye (Albuquerque, New Mexico) walked. Guillermo doubled to left-center for a 3-0 lead and Matkovic added a run with a sacrifice fly to right. Parkins doubled home Guillermo before being thrown out at third on a fielders' choice. Knox changed pitchers and Scott greeted the reliever with a RBI triple to right-center and Hunter Wheat (Athens, Illinois) made it 7-0 with a single.

Leading 7-2, Monmouth got the bats going again in the fourth as Dye led off with a single. Guillermo launched a 2-run homer toward the American Legion in left-center, pushing the lead to 9-2 and breaking the Monmouth career HR record.

Wheat led off the fifth with a single to left and Lummus walked. Reed bunted for a single and Dye cleared the bases with a grand slam for a 13-3 lead. The homer is the third of the season for Dye and Monmouth's second grand slam in as many weekends. Guillermo and Matkovic both walked and with one out, Eric Campen (Washington, Illinois) singled to plate Guillermo. Wheat singled home Matkovic with two outs and Lummus made it 16-3 with a RBI single to right.

Guillermo walked with one out in the sixth and gave way to pinch-runner Jacob Blunck (Forsyth, Illinois). Gabe Zeigler-Harris (East Peoria, Illinois) singled to left and both runners moved up on a wild pitch. With Reid Stufflebeem (Galesburg, Illinois) pinch hitting, Blunck scored on a wild pitch. Stufflebeem walked and Blunck scored for an 18-3 lead as Jonas Buckles (Albuquerque, New Mexico) delivered a sacrifice fly.

Tyler Ithal (Mokena, Illinois) threw a hitless and scoreless seventh inning to finish off the game. Zaayenga (3-3) picked up the win with two earned runs allowed over six innings as he struck out six.

GAME TWO

After two scoreless innings in game two, Knox scored four off Monmouth starting pitcher Toby Turnquist (Monmouth, Illinois) in the third. A leadoff walk started the rally and four hits, including a 2-run double.

Stufflebeem led off the third with a single and moved to third on a pair of ground outs. Lummus put the Scots on the board with a RBI single to right but he was thrown out at second on the play to end the inning.

Dye doubled with one out in the fourth and he moved to third on a deep flyout by Guillermo. Matkovic singled home Dye and Campen reached on an error but the Scots left two on base, trailing 4-2 after four innings.

Knox scored six times in the fifth inning with the first four runs, three earned, off Turnquist. Owen Wolfe (Galesburg, Illinois) came in and allowed two unearned runs after two hits and an error made it 10-2.

The offense got going immediately as Scott doubled on the first pitch of the fifth and he scored on a single by Wheat. Lummus walked and with one out, Dye made it 10-4 with a single. Lummus stole third and scored on a single by Guillermo. Matkovic singled and both Dye and Guillermo scored on a throwing error by the center fielder. Campen singled home Matkovic to cut the Knox lead to 10-8 before the visitors escaped the inning.

Knox responded in a big way with eight runs in the sixth inning. The first five came off Wolfe before Brandon Coats (Mapleton, Illinois) entered the game and gave up three runs, two earned. The Scots were unable to score in the sixth or seventh innings and Knox won 18-8 on the run rule.

Turnquist (2-5) took the loss allowing eight runs, six earned, on eight hits over 4 innings. He struck out three and walked one.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Guillermo hit his 20th career homer and second against Knox, breaking the record of 19 set by Mike Dato (2018-21).. ... Ironically, Dato also set the record against Knox, in his final career games ... Guillermo is now fourth in Monmouth history in at-bats, sixth in games played and he also moved into the top 10 in runs scored and hits on Saturday ... He passed M Club Hall of Famer Chris Wheat for 10th in hits and also moved past M Club Hall of Famer Michael Blaesing for fifth on the career total bases list ... Lummus moved into 12th on the career hits list and 14th in at-bats ... Turnquist is 19th in games pitched with 31 ... Wolfe moved into the top 20 for games pitched in a season with 12 ... All nine starters had at least one hit in game one ... Lummus, Dye, Guillermo, Matkovic, Campen and Wheat had at least one hit and one RBI in both games ... Scott also had a hit in both games ... Wheat and Dye had three hits in game one ... Dye's grand slam was Monmouth's second in conference play this season as Lummus hit one at Grinnell last weekendZaayenga has gone at least five innings in four straight starts ... The six strikeouts ties his season high ... The seniors are 8-3 against KnoxMonmouth is 207-157-2 against Knox all-time ... The teams play the rubber game of the series at Glasgow Field at Noon on Sunday.