Softball Scores 12 Runs in Thursday Double Header Sweep

Lewis, Riddley both go deep in Monmouth wins

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (03/09/2023) — The Monmouth College softball team returned to action with two Thursday wins as they beat Russell Sage College 5-1 and Pitt-Greensburg 7-2. The Fighting Scots (5-5) are now 4-2 in Florida with two games remaining on Friday..

In the opening game against Russell Sage the Scots took the lead in the first inning thanks to three straight errors. The last of those scored Lillian Hucke (Aledo, Illinois) to give the Scots a 1-0 lead. MyKenzie Kloess (Dupo, Illinois) scored on a groundout by Madelyn Belville (Rushville, Illinois) for a 2-0 Scots lead.

Abby Leber (Tremont, Illinois) kept the Gators off the board and Monmouth added on in the third inning. Hucke and Kloess both singled and with one out, Belville singled home a run for a 3-0 lead.

Russell Sage got on the board in the fourth with a triple and sacrifice fly. Monmouth got that run back in the fifth inning as Kloess doubled and with two outs, Vanessa Wright (Villa Grove, Illinois) delivered a RBI single.

Kendall Lewis (Cambridge, Illinois) hit the Scots first home run of the season with one out in the sixth inning. The solo blast put the Scots on top 5-1 and provided the final run of the game.

Leber (2-2) struck out seven over six innings of work to earn the win. Kayleigh Cobb (Pawnee, Illinois) threw a shutout seventh inning in a non-save situation. Lewis had a double to go with her home run while Kloess also had two hits and Belville had two RBI.

Game 2

Freshman Elizabeth Durfee (Arlington, Washington) got the start in the game against the University of Pittsburgh-Greenburg. The Bobcats took the lead in the third with a bases loaded single but Durfee got out of the inning with a flyout.

The Scots still trailed 1-0 into the top of the sixth. With one out, Lewis doubled to center and advanced to third as Calista Warmowski (Spring Grove, Illinois) reached on an error. With two down, Kloess gave the Scots a 2-1 lead with a single to left-center as both Lewis and Warmowski scored. Olivia Riddley (Chatham, Illinois) launched her first home run of the season to put the Scots on top 4-1.

Wright led off the seventh with a single and the Scots had runners on the corners with one out after Addison Riley (Illinois City, Illinois) singled. Lewis doubled to drive in Wright and Cobb scored on a groundout by Warmowski . Hucke singled home Lewis to give the Scots a 7-1 lead.

Anna McCarty (Decatur, Illinois) allowed one run in 2 1/3 innings of relief work to pick up the win. Durfee struck out five and allowed one run on five hits over 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision.

The Scots will play their final two games in Florida on Friday with a 9 a.m. ET game against Rowan University and 4:30 p.m. ET game against Heidelberg University. Rowan is ranked #24 in the NFCA Preseason Poll for Division III softball after advancing to the NCAA Tournament Regional FInal last season.