Softball Sweeps Knox With Two Shutouts

Scots collect 27 hits on the day

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (04/27/2025) — The Monmouth College softball team swept Knox with a pair of shutout run-rule wins on Saturday. The Fighting Scots (6-28, 2-10) won the doubleheader 8-0 and 9-0 with 27 hits on the day.

Monmouth starter Lizzie Durfee (Arlington, Washington) kept Knox off balance early with two strikeouts in the first inning and another in the second as she retired the first six batters.

Grace Wyman (Pekin, Illinois) singled with one out in the second and she moved to second on a wild pitch. With two down, Brooklyn Millhollin (Peoria, Illinois) put the Scots on top 1-0 with a single.

The Scots broke the game open in the fourth. Shelby Covey (Peoria, Illinois) hit her first collegiate home run with one out. With two down, Kendall Lewis (Cambridge, Illinois) doubled to center and scored on a single by Millhollin. MacKenzie Gerard (Jacksonville, Illinois) singled to put runners on the corners and Alexis Hardy (Rushville, Illinois) made it 4-0 with a single. Karliegh Ashby (Monmouth, Illinois) doubled home two and after Brooklyn Manners (Burleson, Texas) singled, Savannah Powers (Volo, Illinois) gave the Scots an 8-0 lead with a double.

Knox put two on base in the top of the fifth with a single and double. A double play erased teh runner at second and Wyman made a running catch in center to end the game.

Durfee (1-9) picked up the win with her first complete game of the season. She threw five shutout innings with six strikeouts and three hits allowed.

GAME TWO

Knox threatened early in game two as they picked up two straight singles to start the second inning. Monmouth starter Alyssa Hefflefinger (Olin, Iowa) got out of the inning with a sac bunt and a double play to keep the game scoreless.

Monmouth picked up three straight singles to start the second. With one out, Ashby singled home Abby Winstead (Morton, Illinois) and Ashley Juerjens (Delavan, Illinois) scored on a fielders' choice. Gerard singles home Riley King (Aledo, Illinois) for a 3-0 lead.

Lewis led off the third with a single and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Winstead. Ashby doubled home Addy Narlock (Antioch, Illinois) and Ashby for a 6-0 lead.

Monmouth extended the lead in the fourth. Gerard singled and scored on an error before Lewis made it 8-0 with a sacrifice fly. With two outs, King singled home Narlock for a 9-0 lead.

Hefflefinger (3-8) stranded two runners in the top of the fifth, finishing off Knox with a flyout. She picked up the win with five shutout innings and five strikeouts.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Ashby, Wyman, Gerard and Lewis had hits in both games ... Ashby drove in five on the day with three hits ... Ashby, Powers, King, Lewis and Gerard had doubles on the day ... Lewis has 21 career doubles, tied for 13th in Monmouth history ... She moved into sixth on the games played list with 136 ... Every starter had a hit in game two ... Covey's home run is the fourth by a Monmouth hitter this season ... Hefflefinger leads the Scots with five complete games this season ... Durfee has seven complete gamesHer other shutout came in Florida in March 2023 ... Durfee tied her career-high with six strikeouts ... Hefflefinger had Monmouth's last shutout, 7-0 at Beloit in the 2024 season finale ... The Scots last won via the run rule when they took both games in that manner against Knox last season ... The Scots are 86-31 all-time against Knox with five straight wins and a 25-5 record over the last 30 ... Monmouth plays a DH at Cornell on Sunday with a 1 p.m. start.