Softball Sweeps Eureka on Senior Day

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill (04/06/2025) — The Monmouth College softball team swept Eureka College 10-7 and 7-2 on Saturday. The Fighting Scots (4-18) celebrated Senior Day as a freshman threw a complete-game in the nightcap.

The Scots jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the first inning and two more in the second. Karliegh Ashby (Monmouth, Illinois) led off the first with a single and with two outs she moved to second on a single by Brooklyn Millhollin (Peoria, Illinois). Both runners moved up on a throwing error and Kendall Lewis (Cambridge, Illinois) gave the Scots a 2-0 lead with a single to left.

Jordan Lantz (Alexis, Illinois) led off the second with a double and scored on an errant throw as Ashby singled with two outs. Brooklyn Manners (Burleson, Texas) singled to right and Ashby scored for a 4-0 lead.

Eureka rallied against Monmouth starter Lizzie Durfee (Arlington, Washington) in the third. After scoring one on a single, Eureka loaded the bases with a two-out walk and scored another run on a walk. Two straight singles tied the game and Kayleigh Cobb (Pawnee, Illinois) took over in the circle. A walk gave Eureka the lead and they added two more with a single and an error to lead 7-4.

Lewis was hit by a pitch with one out in the third and Abby Winstead (Morton, Illinois) singled two center. With two outs, Liz Waymire (Havana, Illinois) launched her first collegiate home run to left field for a 7-7 tie.

With the game still tied in the sixth, Alexis Hardy (Rushville, Illinois) drew a lead off walk. Ashby singled to center and Manners advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt. Shelby Covey (Peoria, Illinois) doubled to the wall in left-center for a 9-7 lead and Lewis put the Scots up 10-7 with a single to left.

Cobb closed out the game in the seventh for her first win of the season. She allowed four hits over 4 shutout innings while striking out two.

GAME TWO

Ashby led off game two with a single. She stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Riley King (Peoria, Illinois) for a 1-0 lead.

Ashley Juerjens (Delavan, Illinois) was hit by a pitch to start the second and she moved to second on a sac bunt by Hardy. Ashby singled to put two on base and King doubled home a run for a 2-0 lead. Mackenzie Gerard (Jacksonville, Illinois) singled to shortstop and two runs scored on a wild throw to first.

Leading 4-0, Eureka got on the board with unearned runs against Addie Greene (Rushville, Illinois) in the third. Greene bounced back to finish the inning with a strikeout and she blanked the Red Devils the rest of the way.

Lewis, Addie Narlock (Antioch, Illinois) and Juerjens all walked in the third inning. Lewis scored on a wild pitch for a 5-2 lead but two outs on the base paths ended the inning.

Monmouth added to the lead in the fifth as Hardy doubled to plate Narlock for a 6-2 lead. Ashby singled home Juerjens for another run and Greene finished off the visitors over the final two innings. Greene (1-2) allowed three hits and struck out three in the win.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Monmouth honored four seniors before the DH: Lantz, Lewis, Winstead and Grace Wyman (Pekin, Illinois).. ... Wyman has missed the last four games with an injured ankle ... Lewis became the 17th player in Monmouth history with at least 50 career RBI and she ranks 17th with 51 ... She is also 5th on the career list with 11 hit by pitches after getting hit in both games Saturday ... Greene threw her first complete game and earned her first college win ... She also had a career-high three strikeouts ... Ashby had three hits and two runs scored in both games ... Lewis scored in both games ... Winstead had hits in both games and tied her career high with three hits in game one ... Cobb tied her career highs in innings and strikeouts in game one, both are season highs ... The Scots are 28-18 all-time against Eureka including an extra-inning road win in 2024 ... Monmouth starts Midwest Conference play on Wednesday with a 3 p.m. double header at Grinnell ... The next home game is a 1 p.m. DH against Illinois College on Friday, April 18.