Scots Blast Knox with 15 Runs on 18 Hits

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (04/13/2026) — The Monmouth College baseball team pounded out season-highs in runs and hits in a 15-6 win at Knox (5-22, 3-7) on Sunday. The Fighting Scots (9-16, 5-5) had five players with at least two hits and two RBI and the teams will finish the series on Monday.

Scoreless in the second, the Scots got the offense going after a Knox error started the inning. Aiden Scott (Carrollton, Texas) singled and both runners moved up on a sac bunt. Zach Almaguer (Monmouth, Illinois) singled home Eric Campen (Washington, Illinois) and Scott for a 2-0 lead and Hunter Wheat (Athens, Illinois) drew a walk. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch and with two outs, Aidan Parkins (Monmouth, Illinois) tripled for a 4-0 lead. Jace Wilkerson (East Peoria, Illinois) reached on an error for a 5-0 lead and Clayton Matkovic (Sherrard, Illinois) made it a 6-run frame with a double.

Knox got two back in the bottom of the inning against Monmouth starter Ethan Zaayenga (Tremont, Illinois). The inning started with a hit batter, walk and single before a fielders; choice and 2-out single plated two runs.

Scott led off the third with a single and Almaguer doubled with one out. Wheat singled home a run and Gabriel Zeigler-Harris (East Peoria, Illinois) made it 8-2 with a RBI ground out.

Jacob Blunck (Forsyth, Illinois) started the fifth by reaching on an error and Almaguer singled. After a passed ball, Wheat drove in both runners with a single for a 10-2 lead.

Knox plated three in the sixth with a 2-out rally that started on a walk. A pair of doubles and a single each plated a run before the Prairie Fire stranded two.

Leading 10-5 in the seventh, Almaguer led off with a single and Wheat singled. Zeigler-Harris loaded the bases with a single and Wilkerson delivered a sacrifice fly. Zeigler-Harris scored on an error and Matovic drove in Parkins with a single for a 13-5 lead.

The Scots added two more in the ninth. Parkins reached on Knox's sixth error of the day and Wilkerson tripled for a 14-5 lead. Will Baumgartner (Sycamore, Illinois) pinch-hit and put the Scots up 10 with a single. Knox got an unearned run in the bottom of the ninth against reliever Clayton Rentschler (Riverton, Illinois) and the game ended on a strikeout.

Zaayenga (2-5) won his second straight start with five runs allowed on 10 hits over six innings. He struck out a season-high six and walked three. Rentschler earned his first career save with one unearned run allowed on three hits over three innings as he struck out two.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Zaayenga has gone at least six innings in three straight starts ... He went over the 150 career innings mark and earned his 10th career win ... Zaayenga has 99 career strikeouts ... Almaguer and Wheat both had career highs in hits and RBI ... Almaguer had four hits and two RBI while Wheat had four hits and four RBI ... Almaguer also scored three times, as did Parkins ... Scott had three hits while Wilkerson and Matkovic had two hits eachWilkerson drove in three runs ... He has four straight multi-hit and multi-RBI gamesIn four MWC games this week, Wilkerson was 11-for-21 (.524) with three homers, a double, a triple, seven runs scored and 12 RBIMatkovic moved into 19th on the career Monmouth hits list ... Parkins and Matkovic both had two RBI ... Wilkerson has seven multi-hit and seven multi-RBI games on the season ... Parkins now has six multi-RBI games ... Scott and Matkovic both had their ninth multi-game of the season ... Monmouth stole three bases in the game ... The Scots had a season-best 18 hits and 15 runs in the winThe Scots lead the all-time series 208-159-2 including a 14-6 mark in the last six seasons ... The teams will make up Saturday's postponed game on Monday at 1 p.m. in Galesburg ... The next home game is a Noon DH against Cornell on Saturday, April 18.

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Monmouth College

Scots Blast Knox with 15 Runs on 18 Hits

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Monmouth College

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