Luna, Durfee Lead Scots to Game Two Win on Friday

Monmouth softball splits with Augustana

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (04/22/2023) — The Monmouth College softball team split a double header at home against Augustana on Friday. The Scots (10-18) dropped game one 12-1 in five innings before winning 6-3 in the nightcap.

Augustana grabbed the lead in the top of the first with three runs, two unearned, against Abby Leber (Tremont, Illinois). The Scots got a leadoff double from Calista Warmowski (Spring Grove, Illinois) in the first but didn't score. Augustana pushed the lead to 4-0 with a run in the third and then scored six in the fourth as Monmouth used three pitchers.

The Scots trailed 12-0 when they got on the board in the fifth. Lillian Hucke (Aledo, Illinois) singled to drive home MyKenzie Kloess (Dupo, Illinois) for the final run of the game

Leber (5-7) took the loss allowing three earned runs on six hits over three innings.

GAME TWO

Monmouth jumped on top in the bottom of the first inning in game two. Belville walked with one out and Leber singled. Kloess drove in Belville with a single to center for a 1-0 lead.

After Lizzie Durfee (Arlington, Washington) kept the Vikings off the board, Monmouth added on. Kendall Lewis (Cambridge, Illinois) led off the second with a double to the fence and Biancha Luna (Monmouth, Illinois) singled for a 2-0 lead. Addison Narlock (Antioch, Illinois) was hit by a pitch and both runners moved up on a groundout. Luna scored on a passed ball for a 3-0 Monmouth lead.

Augustana tied the game in the third with two unearned runs. In the bottom of the inning the offense went back to work. With runners on the corners, Lewis was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Luna singled up the middle to score Hucke and Riddley for a 5-3 Scots lead. Narlock got hit by a pitch and Warmowski singled to center for a 6-3 lead as Lewis scored.

Durfee (3-8) earned the win with a complete game. She allowed one earned run on six hits while striking out three.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Leber moved into 12th on the single-season strikeouts list with 72. She is the 11th player in school history to make 50 career pitching appearances. Durfee tied her season and career high with seven innings pitched and she has four complete games on the season. She has two straight complete games. Warmowski, Kloess, Hucke, Lewis and Luna had hits in both games. Luna drove in three runs in game two. The Scots return to Midwest Conference play on Saturday with a 1 p.m. home double header against Beloit.