Scots Baseball Drops Conference Openers to Ripon

Hatlestad throws complete game in nightcap loss

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (03/28/2022) — The Monmouth College baseball team opened Midwest Conference play on Sunday with a pair of late losses to the Ripon Red Hawks, 8-5 and 2-1. The visitors won the opener with three runs in the top of the ninth and the nightcap with an unearned run in the top of the eighth.

Ripon threatened in top of the first with two on and no outs but Addison Fletcher (Monmouth, Illinois) escaped the inning unscathed. Monmouth got on the board in the second inning against Ripon starter Brock Warren. With one out, Jack Kuethe (Pekin, Illinois) singled and Daniel Lummus (New Port Richey, Florida) followed with a single. After a strikeout, Christian Centeno (Miami, Florida) reached on an error by the Red Hawks third baseman, loading the bases. A wild pitch brought Kuethe home with the first run of the game before Ripon got out of the inning.

Ripon took the lead in the fourth with help from the Scots. Sam Ott led off with a double and Warren was safe at first when no one fielded his sacrifice bunt attempt. With runners on the corners, Fletcher was called for a balk, tying the game. After a strikeout and a walk, it appeared the Scots were out of the inning with a double play ball. But after securing the out at second, an errant throw to first allowed Ripon to take a 2-1 lead.

Monmouth tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Raul Guillermo (Miami, Florida) led off with a single and Kuethe walked. With one out, Anthony Ruggles (Aledo, Illinois) singled to load the bases and Guillermo scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of Centeno.

Ripon used a leadoff walk to take the lead in the sixth. A sacrifice bunt and a RBI double followed the walk and Fletcher left the game down 3-2. Nick Corman (Monmouth, Illinois) took over on the mound and a stolen base and wild pitch extended Ripon's lead.

The Scots got a run back in the bottom of the inning as Kuethe led off with his second home run of the season. Ripon answered with a run in the eighth against reliever Tim McNally (Paw Paw, Illinois) on a sacrifice fly.

Down 5-3, Monmouth rallied in the eighth. Kuethe doubled and scored on a single by Lummus. Ruggles walked and Lummus came around to tie the score on an errant throw during a double play attempt. The Scots put runners on second and third after Ripon changed pitchers but were unable to take the lead.

Ripon went back on top in the ninth. A flare to left fell in for a one-out double before a single and walk loaded the bases. Another single gave the visitors a 6-5 lead and two straight wild pitches scored runs for an 8-5 game. The Scots put two runners on in the ninth with two outs but were unable to get a run home.

Fletcher allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits over 5 innings. He walked five and struck out five. McNally (0-1) took the loss, allowing four runs in two innings.

Ripon Scores Late in Game Two

Ripon took the lead in game two with a run in the top of the first against A.J. Hatlestad (New Windsor, Illinois). Cormac Madigan led off with a single, stole second and scored on a two-out single from Ott.

Monmouth tied the game with some help in the third. Centeno led off with a single and moved to second on an errant pickoff throw. After a sacrifice bunt, Centeno scored the tying run on an infield single by Logan Komater (Ottawa, Illinois).

Ripon took the lead in the eighth, despite not getting a hit. Kaleb Burns reached on an error and went to second on a sacrifice bunt before scoring on another error for a 2-1 lead.

The Scots left the tying run at first base in the eighth after a failed sacrifice bunt. Lummus singled with one out in the ninth to put the tying run on again but a strikeout and pop up ended the game

Hatlestad (2-1) took a complete game loss despite allowing just one earned run on three hits. The senior struck out five and walked one.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Kuethe was 5-for-6 with three doubles, a home run and three walks on the dayMelvin and Lummus both had two hits in the first game while Centeno and Komater had two hits in game twoHatlestad threw a career-high nine innings in game two and has two complete games on the seasonThe Scots lead the all-time series 22-21 but Ripon is 11-1 in the 12 games played since 1996Monmouth and Ripon haven't played more than once in the same season since 2006 and haven't played a three-game series since 1989The last time Ripon came to Monmouth was for the 2019 MWC Tournament where they beat the Scots 4-3 in the first game but ultimately lost in the finals to CornellThe teams were originally scheduled to play a double header on Saturday and a single game on Sunday but due to the cold forecast the series was switched to a Sunday DH and a single game on MondayMonday's game starts at 11 a.m. at Glasgow Field.