Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Monmouth left Florida with a split on the final day, taking Game 1 of the doubleheader with Bethany College 4-0, but dropping the nightcap 3-2.
Â
Austin Hardy pitched three-hit ball for the complete-game shutout, earning wins in his first and last starts in the Sunshine state.
Â
Monmouth threatened with runners in scoring position in the third and fourth innings, but the game remained deadlocked in a scoreless battle until the bottom of the sixth when Hardy lead off the inning reaching on an infield error. After
Bryson Sheppard sacrificed Hardy to second,
Grant Myers ripped his third hit of the game, an RBI single to plate Hardy for the only run he would need. The Scots tacked on an insurance run when
Zach VanWassenhove came off the bench to deliver a run-scoring hit.
Brandon Harroun then piled on with a two-run single to give the Scots a 4-0 lead. Hardy took care of the rest in the top of the seventh, striking out the side.
Â
It was another pitchers' duel in the nightcap where
Tyler McDonald took a perfect game into the bottom of the fourth inning. The Bison's leadoff man broke up the potential no-hitter and then scored on a base hit to give Bethany a 1-0 lead. Monmouth came back with solo runs in the fifth and sixth. After
Lucas Giertz singled to open the fifth,
Matt Mullen's sac bunt moved pinch runner
Ryan McKnight to second where he scored on
Victor Jacobsen's base hit to knot the game at 1-1. The Scots then took advantage of an error in the sixth as
Jake Starkey led off the inning with his third hit of the game and raced home when Hardy's hit to the outfield was misplayed to give Monmouth a 2-1 lead with one out. Bethany's defense tightened and retired the next five Scots.
Â
Trailing by a run in the bottom of the seventh, Bethany loaded the bases with one out and knotted the game at 2-2 with an infield out. The Bisons then scored the game winner after milking a bases loaded walk to end the game.
Â
The Scots ended their spring trip with a 5-3 record as the Scots' offense on the day was led by Starkey's 5-for-7 performance and Hardy's 3-for-6 effort. Monmouth will open their home season on Sat., Mar. 19 with a 1 p.m. twinbill against Iowa Wesleyan.
Â