Scots Baseball Splits Opening Doubleheader

Monmouth spring break trip starts with pair of 5-4 games

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (03/06/2022) — Playing in Florida for the first time since the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19, the Monmouth College baseball team started the 2022 season with a double header split against Elizabethtown College (4-6). The Scots (1-1) walked-off the opener 5-4 but dropped the nightcap by the same score.

The season started with 2021 Midwest Conference Southern Division Pitcher of the Year Addison Fletcher (Monmouth, Illinois) on the mound against Elizabethton in the double header opener. Neither team scored early as the Scots turned a double play to get out of the top of the second but then left two in scoring position in the bottom of the inning.

Monmouth broke through in the third with the first runs of the game. With one out, Logan Komater (Ottawa, Illinois) and Nate Melvin (Ottawa, Illinois) both singled. With two down, Raul Guillermo (Miami, Florida) doubled to right for a 2-0 lead and he scored on a double by Justin Bost (Reynolds, Illinois)

Elizabethtown responded in the top of the fourth as the first four batters reached against Fletcher. A walk and two singles got the Bluejays on the board and a double to left tied the game at three before Fletcher struck out the next two batters.

Neither team scored in the fifth or sixth and Elizabethtown took the lead in the top of the seventh against reliever Nicholas Corman (Monmouth, Illinois). A hit batter started the inning and with two outs, the Bluejays got two straight singles to go on top 4-3.

The Scots came right back in the bottom of the inning as Daniel Lummus (New Port Richey, Florida) reached to start the inning and Tyler Houk (Park Ridge, Illinois) reached on an error. Komater put the ball in play and an error by the Bluejays second baseman scored both Lummus and Houck for the walkoff 5-4 win.

Fletcher allowed three runs on eight hits over six innings while walking four and striking out four. Corman (1-0) picked up the win with one inning of relief and one strikeout. Melvin, Guillermo and Bost all had two hits and five different Scots scored a run.

In game two, Scots starting pitcher Jeff Garrett (Aledo, Illinois) allowed one hit over 1 1/3 innings but had to leave with an injury. Jakob Brokaw (Andalusia, Illinois) made his Scots baseball debut and worked through the fourth, keeping Elizabethtown off the board.

The Scots took the lead in the top of the fourth. Bost tripled with one out and scored on a two-out single from Todd Fowler (Chatham, Illinois). In the fifth, Komater reached on an error to start the inning and advanced when Melvin reached on an error. A passed ball, intentional walk and another error plated three Monmouth runs for a 4-0 advantage.

Elizabethtown got on the board in the fifth against relievers Matt Datlof (Las Vegas, Nevada) and Eli Herrera (Romeoville, Illinois). Two hit batters, two triples and an error cut the Monmouth lead to 4-3. With one out in the sixth, Elizabethtown got two singles and two stolen bases to get the go-head run into scoring position. Another hit gave the Bluejays the lead 5-4 before Herrera (Romeoville, Illinois) got out of the inning.

Monmouth put the tying run on base in the seventh as Bost reached on a dropped third strike to start the inning. But a popped up sacrifice bunt attempt and two strikeouts ended the game with the teams splitting the double header.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: The Scots last played in Florida on March 13, 2020 with a 9-2 win over Immaculata that put Monmouth at 6-4 on the seasonThree players made their Monmouth debuts in the opener and two more debuted in the nightcapBost had two hits in both gamesThe Scots and Bluejays also met in Florida back in 2018 with a double header splitMonmouth will play two games on Sunday in Vero Beach, Florida against Gettysburg CollegeOverall they are scheduled for 11 games in seven days on the Spring Break Trip.