Scots Beat Beloit to Win Series on Sunday

Monmouth is first MWC team to 11 conference wins

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (04/28/2025) — The Monmouth College baseball team became the first MWC team to pick up 11 conference wins this season with a 10-7 home win over Beloit on Sunday. The Fighting Scots (16-18, 11-7) won the series against Beloit and wil head to Ripon next weekend with a chance at clinching a MWC Tournament berth.

"A big time win for us today," said coach Alan Betourne "A lot of fight today and really proud of the guys today with good pitching and some timely hitting."

After an 80-minute delay for a missing umpire, Beloit took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning against Monmouth starter Toby Turnquist (Monmouth, Illinois). A leadoff single, wild pitch,single and a ground out scored the first run of the game. The Bucs pushed the lead to 3-0 in the second inning with a 2-run homer.

Monmouth left two runners on base in the first as Daniel Lummus (New Port Richey, Florida) and Alexander Dye (Albuquerque, New Mexico) both singled. Nate Reed (Chenoa, Illinois) drew a walk with one out in the third and Dye singled again. Raul Guillermo (Miami, Florida) reached on a fielders; choice and Clayton Matkovic (Monmouth, Illinois) put the Scots on the board with a single. Beloit escaped the inning with two left on base.

Turnquist kept the Bucs off the board and Monmouth got back to work in the bottom of the fifth. Lummus led off with a single and he moved to third on a single by Reed. Dye drove in Lummus with a sacrifice fly and Guillermo singled. Matkovic tied the game with a single to right-center but Beloit got two straight outs to leave two Monmouth runners on base.

The Scots left two on base in the sixth, pushing the tally to 11 on the game. An error with one out and two walks with two outs loaded the bases for Beloit in the seventh. Brandon Coats (Mapleton, Illinois) came out of the bullpen for Turnquist and got a strikeout to end the inning with the bases loaded.

Guillermo started the bottom of the seventh with a walk and Matkovic singled. Drew Brown (Alexis, Illinois) pinch ran for Guillermo and both runners moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Aidan Parkins (Monmouth, Illinois). Beloit changed pitchers and Aiden Scott (Carrollton, Texas) drew a walk to load the bases. Pinch-hitter Eric Campen (Washington, Illinois) drew a walk to bring home Brown for a 4-3 Monmouth lead. With two down, Lummus sliced a triple into the right-field corner to clear the bases and give the Scots a 7-3 lead.

Beloit got a run off Coats in the eighth but he struck out the final two batters of the inning to strand a runner.

Dye led off the eighth with a solo home run to right, this fourth of the season. Reid Stufflebeem (Galesburg, Illinois) delivered a pinch-hit single and was replaced by pinch-runner Bobby Russell (Plainfield, Illinois). After a fielders' choice, Parkins singled to move Matkovic to second and both scored on a double by Scott for a 10-4 lead. Jonas Buckles (Albuquerque, New Mexico) singled but the Scots left two on.

Beloit scored three runs in the ninth against Nick Villa (El Segundo, California). With a runner on first, Villa got a groundout to shortstop to end the game.

"The seniors have been great and they led the way today," said Betourne. "I hate to say its been a while since we had something to play for the last weekend but that's where we are and its a lot more fun when the games at the end matter. The guys have been waiting a long time for this."

Turnquist took a no-decision with three runs allowed over 6 innings. He struck out a season-high six and allowed five hits with three walks. Coats (3-0) struck out three and allowed a run over 1 innings in the win, his second at home this week.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Guillermo has a 12-game hit streak ... Lummus moved into a tie for seventh on the career hits list and he's 20th on the single-season hits list ... He tied coach Betourne for second on the single-season triples list with six and is now tied for sixth with eight career triples ... Lummus tied his season and career high with four hits ... Matkovic picked up his 100th career hit and joins Guillermo and Lummus as active players with at least 100 hits ... Dye is next with 95 while Reed has 92 ... Dye hit his fourth homer of the season and seventh of his career ... Turnquist is tied for 14th on the career games pitched list with 34 ... He set a season-high with six strikeouts ... Turnquist has at least six strikeouts in three career outings ... He has gone at least six innings in four starts this season and seven in his career ... The all-time series is tied 22-22 ... Monmouth won the season series 2-1, taking a season series of more than one game against Beloit in 1992 ... The Scots host Westminster (MO). for a double header at 1 p.m. on Wednesday ... Monmouth plays three games at Ripon this weekend.