The Monmouth College softball team dropped a pair of road games at Illinois Wesleyan on Wednesday. The Fighting Scots (3-13) lost the opening game 2-1 before falling 8-1 in the nightcap.
GAME ONE
Karliegh Ashby (Monmouth, Illinois) drew a leadoff walk to start the game but the next 15 batters were retired in order by the Titan starting pitcher. IWU took the lead in the bottom of the first with a 2-run homer off Monmouth starter
Alyssa Hefflefinger (Olin, Iowa).
Neither pitcher allowed anything until the sixth inning.
Brooklyn Millhollin (Peoria, Illinois) reached on a dropped pop up and
Kerigan Lewis (Cambridge, Illinois) pinch-ran at first base.
Alexis Hardy (Rushville, Illinois) walked and after IWU changed pitchers, both runners moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Ashby.
Ella Cunningham (Dunlap, Illinois) delivered Monmouth's first hit of the game as Lewis scored and Hardy moved to third. Cunningham advanced to second on a groundout but a line out to shortstop ended the inning.
Neither team scored in the final at-bat as the Scots went in order in the seventh. Hefflefinger (1-4) took the loss despite throwing a complete game. She didn't allow a run after the first inning and gave up just four hits over six innings.
GAME TWO
After a scoreless first inning, the Titans put five on the board against
Elizabeth Durfee (Arlington, Washington) in the second. A leadoff double, sacrifice and RBI fielders' choice got the first run home while a single and another double made it 3-0. Three more singles put IWU on top 5-0. They added two more in the third with a walk, single, stolen base and passed ball.
Lydia Overcash (Farmington, Illinois) took over in the circle in the fourth. IWU led off with a single and stolen base before another single made it 8-0.
Down to their final three outs, the Scots extended the game in the fifth.
Graci Guenther (Pekin, Illinois) hit her first Monmouth home run with one out to get the Scots on the board.
Elizabeth Waymire (Havana, Illinois) and Millhollin both singled before Ashby got hit by a pitch with two outs. The Scots left the bases loaded and went in order in the sixth. Guenther singled to start the seventh but a double play and pop up ended the game.
Durfee (1-3) took the loss as she allowed six earned runs on eight hits over three innings while walking one. Overcash allowed one run on three hits in two innings of relief work.
MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Guenther had her first 3-hit game of the season and fourth multi-hit game…She has four multi-hit games…She is the third Monmouth player to hit a home run this season…Cunningham is third on the team with seven RBI…Lewis scored her second run as a pinch-runner this season…Hardy drew her ninth walk of the season in game one to move into a tie for the team lead…Ashby was hit by a pitch for the seventh time and she ranks 10th in Monmouth career history…Hefflefinger has thrown six innings three times this season and at least five innings in five of her six outings…She has two complete games this season and 10 for her career…The Titans have won 22 straight in the series dating back to a Monmouth win in 2012…Overall IWU leads 69-16…Monmouth travels to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for a DH at Coe on Saturday…The next home game is the MWC opener against Lake Forest on Friday, April 3.
