Monmouth College

Ralston Tosses Complete Game but Scots Fall Twice on Saturday

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (03/07/2026) — The Monmouth College baseball team got a complete game from pitcher Roy Ralston (Macon, Illinois) but came up empty in both games of Saturday's double header in Florida. The Fighting Scots (0-7) dropped both games to Capital (10-3) by scores of 11-4 and 2-1 at the Jackie Robinson Complex (Formerly DodgerTown) in Vero Beach, Florida.

GAME ONE

Aidan Parkins (Monmouth, Illinois) led off the top of the first with a walk and Aiden Scott (Carrollton, Texas) singled to left. Clayton Matkovic (Sherrard, Illinois) walked to load the bases and with one out, Jacob Blunck (Forsyth, Illinois) put the Scots up 2-0 with a single to left. Zach Almaguer (Monmouth, Illinois) singled to load the bases and Matkovic scored on a wild pitch. Hunter Wheat (Athens, Illinois) was hit by a pitch to load the bases again but Capital got out of the jam with two strikeouts.

Ethan Zaayenga (Tremont, Illinois) kept the Comets off the board in the bottom of the inning with a runner left on second. Parkins reached on an error to start the second and Scott doubled to left. Matkovic made it 4-0 with an infield single but an out on the base paths derailed the inning.

Capital got on the board in the second. With two on and two out, the Scots couldn't make a play on a grounder that loaded the bases. Three straight walks scored runs before Monmouth got out of the inning up 4-3.

In the fourth, Capital loaded the bases on a double and two walks. Zaayenga gave way to Weslee Frame (Fairview, Illinois) and a hit batter on the first pitch tied the game. Two straight singles put the Comets up 7-4.

They added more in the fifth with a single and home run to make it 9-4. A pair of singles and a double extended the Comets lead to 11-4 before they left two on.

Zaayenga (0-3) took the loss as he allowed six runs on three hits and seven walks in 3 2/3 innings. Frame allowed five runs on eight hits and two hit batters while striking out one in 2 1/3 innings.

GAME TWO

Parkins started game two with a walk and he moved to third when Eric Campen (Washington, Illinois) delivered a ground-rule double as the ball deflected off the first baseman and out of play. Matkovic drove in Parkins with a ground out for a 1-0 lead.

The Comets loaded the bases in the second with one out on a hit batter, single and walk. Ralston escaped the inning with two straight strikeouts to keep the Scots on top.

Capital took the lead in the third with four straight 2-out singles. On the fourth hit, Gabriel Zeigler-Harris (East Peoria, Illinois) threw out a runner at third base to end the inning, but the go-ahead run was judged to have crossed the plate in time to put the Comets up 2-1.

Scott doubled with one out in the sixth and he moved to third on a deep fly out by Matkovic. The Comets third baseman snared a line drive off the bat of Blunck to end the inning. Monmouth went in order in the seventh.

Ralston (0-3) allowed two runs on seven hits with a season-high eight strikeouts but suffered the loss. He finished his first career complete game with a new career high in innings pitched.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Ralston recorded his 100th career strikeout and is the active leader with 106 ... He also went over the 100 innings pitched milestone for his career ... His previous career long outing was 6 1/3 against US Merchant Marines on the Florida trip last year ... The last Monmouth complete game was on April 20, 2024 by Toby Turnquist ... Scott had three hits in game one and Matkovic had two ... Scott had three doubles on the day ... All three of Monmouth's hits in game two were doubles, one each by Campen, Scott and Wheat ... The Scots did not commit an error in either gameParkins walked in both games ... Bobby Russell (Plainfield, Illinois) made his first career start in game one and Cade Farquer (Williamsfield, Illinois) did so in game two ... Caden Gores (Hugo, Minnesota) made his season debut as a pinch runner in game one ... The teams had never met before Saturday ... The Scots play Thiel at 10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. CT on Sunday ... After nine games in Florida for spring break, the Scots play the home opener on Monday, March 16 against Maranatha Baptist.