The Monmouth College softball team picked up two wins in Florida on Monday night. The Fighting Scots (3-5) beat Rivier 10-0 in six innings before holding on to knock off Fitchburg State 7-6.

GAME ONE

The game was scoreless until the fourth. Maddie Hepner (Alexis, Illinois) led off with a single and Kerigan Lewis (Cambridge, Illinois) pinch-ran in her college debut, Lewis moved up on a sacrifice bunt and Elizabeth Waymire (Havana, Illinois) walked. A wild pitch moved both runners up a base and Alexis Hardy (Rushville, Illinois) walked. With the bases loaded, Karliegh Ashby (Monmouth, Illinois)singled to right for a 1-0 lead. Ella Cunningham (Dunlap, Illinois) made it 3-0 with a single to center before RU got out of the inning.

Pitcher Elizabeth Durfee (Arlington, Washington) cruised through the next three innings, allowing just one hit. Waymire led off the sixth with a single and Hardy reached on an error. Ahsby singled for a 4-0 lead before stealing second Cunningham singled and after a pitching change, Graci Guenther (Pekin, Illinois) walked for a 5-0 lead. Savannah Powers (Volo, Illinois) doubled home two and Mackenzie Gerard (Jacksonville, Illinois) added two more with a double. Hepner made it three straight doubles as she drove home Gerard for a 10-0 lead. 

Durfee gave up a hit in the sixth but closed out the Raiders with a ground out. She moved to 1-1 on the season with a complete game win, Durfee allowed two hits over six shutout innings and struck out five 

GAME TWO

FSU took a 2-0 lead against Lydia Overcash (Farmington, Illinois) in the third but Monmouth answered right away. Ashby led off with a walk and scored on a double by Guenther. Powers singled to right and Hepner tied the game with a 1-out single to center. Brooklyn Millhollin (Peoria, Illinois)  reached on a fielders' choice as Powers scored for a 3-2 Monmouth lead. Waymire walked and Hardy made it 4-2 with a bases loaded walk. Ashby reached on an error as Millhollin scored for a five-run inning. 

In the fourth, Monmouth added on. Guenther singled and walks to Gerard and Millhollin loaded the bases. With two outs, Waymire singled to left to make it 7-2. 

A single run in the fifth and another in the sixth for FSU against Overcash cut the Scots lead to 7-4. Addie Greene (Rushville, Illinois).took over in the circle and Hardy threw out a runner at the plate from center field. A double pulled FSU within one but Greene got a strikeout to end the frame. A single, error and walk loaded the bases in the seventh but Greene preserved the win with a comebacker and the Scots prevailed 7-6. 

Overcash (1-1) picked up the win with five runs allowed over five innings as she struck out four. Greene earned the save with one run allowed and one strikeout in two innings of work.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Powers has hit safely in all eight games this season and leads the Scots five multi-RBI games and 14 runs driven in…Ashby's has six multi-hit games and Hepner has four…Cunningham and Powers also had two hits in the opener and Guenther had two in the nightcap…With her 22nd career stolen base, Ashby moved into a tie for eighth on the career list with Ashley Parer…She had two hits in both games Monday…Waymire had two RBI in game two…Durfee has nine career complete games and three shutouts…Overcash had her first career win…Greene had her first career save and Monmouth picked up their first save since 2024…Lewis made her college debut,..Monmouth and Rivier had never met before Monday…The Scots are 3-0 all time against Fitchburg State with an 8-7 win in Florida last year…The Scots are off Tuesday before double headers on Wednesday and Thursday…After eight games in Florida, the home opener is a DH against Loras at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 21.