Leber tosses 1-hitter as Scots Sweep Beloit

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (04/22/2023) — The Monmouth College softball team swept a double header at home against Beloit on Saturday. The Scots (12-18, 4-4) won the opener 6-0 on a 1-hitter and took the nightcap 7-5.

Starting pitcher Abby Leber (Tremont, Illinois) retired Beloit in order in the first and the bats went to work with a two-out rally. Leber, MyKenzie Kloess (Dupo, Illinois) and Lillian Hucke (Aledo, Illinois) all singled to load the bases. Hucke scored on a wild pitch and Kloess came home on an error for a 2-0 Scots lead.

Monmouth added on in the second. Biancha Luna (Monmouth, Illinois) led off with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. Calista Warmmowski (Spring Grove, Illinois) singled for a 3-0 lead and Leber singled with two outs. An error scored Warmowski and gave the Scots a 4-0 lead.

Monmouth scored two more in the fifth with another two-out rally,. Luna doubled home Kendall Lewis (Cambridge, Illinois) for a 5-0 lead. Abby Winstead (Morton, Illinois) doubled to bring home Luna with the final run of the game.

Leber (6-7) allowed just one hit on a comebacker, as she blanked Beloit over seven innings. She struck out five and walked one in the complete-game shutout.

GAME TWO

Beloit scored twice in the first against Monmouth starter Lizzie Durfee (Arlington, Washington). One of the runs was unearned and the Scots came right back in the bottom of the inning. Warmowski singled, Madelyn Belville (Rushville, Illinois) singled and Leber's double got the Scots on the board. Belville scored to tie the game on a groundout by Kloess.

Monmouth grabbed the lead in the second. Lewis reached on an error and moved up on a wild pitch. Luna reached on an error and stole second with Lewis scoring on an errant throw by the Beloit catcher. Warmowski singled home Luna for a 4-2 lead and Belville walked. Leber singled to load the bases and Warmowski scored on a fielder's choice.

Beloit tied the game in the fourth with a walk, an error and three hits. Anna McCarty (Decatur, Illinois) took over in the circle for Durfee with two on and one out and got out of the inning with the game tied 5-5.

Winstead led off the bottom of the fourth with a double and Warmowski singled. Winstead was out at the plate on a return throw as Warmowski stole second. Belville singled and Warmowski scored on an error to give the Scots a 6-5 lead. Beloit changed pitchers and Belville scored on a groundout by Hucke for a 7-5 lead. Neither team scored the rest of the way.

Durfee allowed four earned runs on five hits and four walks in 3 innings. She struck out two in a no-decision. McCarty (3-0) picked up the win with 3 shutout innings as she struck out one, walked one and allowed two hits.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Leber moved a tie for eighth in career starts with 47. She is also tied for sixth with five career shutoutsLeber's 77 strikeouts on the season are 10th in the Monmouth single-season list. Warmowski, Leber, Hucke, Lewis and Winstead had hits in both games. Leber had three hits in the opener and two in game two. Warmowski had three hits in game twoLuna had two doubles in the first game. Leber and Winstead had a double in both games. Monmouth stole five bases in the double headerMonmouth is 8-2 against Beloit since the start of the 2017 season and 13-2 since the start of the 2012 season. They are 6-0 at home against the Bucs in the span. The Scots host first-place Illinois College on Tuesday with a 3 p.m. double header.