Softball Splits With Lawrence on Sunday

Monmouth rallies to win opener

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (04/15/2024) — The Monmouth College softball team split a home double header with Lawrence on Sunday, winning 5-4 and losing 4-3. The Scots are now 3-1 in Midwest Conference play as they head on the road for four games this week.

Lawrence scored an unearned run off Alyssa Hefflefinger (Olin, Iowa) in the top of the first though the Scots recorded an out at the plate to minimize the damage. The Vikings added another run in the fourth to lead 2-0.

Monmouth left a pair of runners on base in the fifth inning and Lawrence pushed the lead to 3-0 in the top of the sixth. Kayleigh Cobb (Pawnee, Illinois) took over for Hefflefinger with one on and one out and got out of the inning.

Grace Goodrich (Lake Villa, Illinois) led off the sixth with a double against a new Lawrence pitcher. Savannah Powers (Volo, Illinois) singled to put runners on the corners and Jordan Lantz (Alexis, Illinois) was hit by a pitch to load the bases. The Vikings put their starting pitcher back in and Lillian Hucke (Aledo, Illinois) singled home Goodrich to get Monmouth on the board. Alexis Hardy (Rushville, Illinois) singled home Powers to make it 3-2 and Karliegh Ashby (Monmouth, Illinois) tied the game with a sacrifice fly.

Lawrence regained the lead in the seventh with a two-out double and single. Wyman led off the bottom of the seventh with a double and moved up on a sac bunt by Goodrich. Wyman scored on a wild pitch to tie the game 4-4.

Lawrence didn't score in the eighth. Hardy tripled to right with one out and Ashby was hit by a pitch. Ashby stole second and Hardy came home from third on a groundout by Kendall Lewis (Cambridge, Illinois) as the Scots earned the 5-4 walkoff win.

Cobb (3-1) picked up the win with 2 relief innings in which she allowed one run and struck out one. Hefflefinger struck out one and allowed two earned runs over 5 innings.

GAME TWO

Lawrence jumped out to a lead in game two with three runs in the first inning. They plated the first two off McKealey Klokkenga (Delavan, Illinois) and the last run off reliever Chelsea Herrick (Elgin, Illinois)

Monmouth started chipping away in the bottom of the first. Lewis walked with one out and moved to third on a double by Wyman. Goodrich singled home Lewis to get the Scots on the board.

In the second, Monmouth tied the game. Hardy walked with two outs and scored on a double by Ashby. Lewis singled to center and Ashby scored for a 3-3 game.

Monmouth threw out a runner at the plate to end the third inning but then left two runners on base. The Scots loaded the bases with one out in the fifth but couldn't take the lead with a pop up and a line out.

Lawrence scored in the sixth on a double, wild pitch and single. Monmouth put the tying and winning runs on base in the seventh. Powers led off with an infield single and Hucke singled with two outs but a strikeout ended the game. Herrick (0-4) took the loss as she allowed two runs over five innings.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Lantz was hit by a pitch in game one and she leads the MWC with 15 HBP on the season Lantz already holds the Monmouth single-season HBP record and the career record is 17 She has been hit by five pitches in the last five games Wyman had doubles in both games Goodrich, Powers and Hucke also had hits in both games Ashby and Lewis had RBI in both games while Hardy scored in both games Monmouth has won twice in extra innings this week The Scots are 22-11 all-time against the Vikings and the teams split in Wisconsin last year Lawrence had not won in Monmouth since 2016 Monmouth continues MWC action with a doubleheader at Illinois College on Wednesday and a doubleheader at Lake Forest on Saturday The next home game is a DH against Grinnell on Monday, April 22 at 3 p.m.