Blueboys Maintain South Division Lead

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Illinois College baseball team assured it would stay atop its perch in the Midwest Conference's South Division after a 12-6 win over the Monmouth Scots in the first game of a doubleheader on Thursday afternoon at Lenz Field. The Scots recovered to take the second game however, 12-5, meaning the Blueboys remain just a game ahead of Cornell in the division race with six conference games to play. The split put IC's record at 15-14 (7-3 MWC South), while the Scots are 14-15 (5-5 MWC South).

Illinois College and Monmouth conclude their series with a doubleheader from Monmouth's Glasgow Field on April 25 beginning at 12 p.m. If inclement weather hits the region on Saturday, there is a chance the twinbill is shifted to April 26 while remaining a 12 p.m. start.

Game One: Illinois College 12, Monmouth 6
A two-out rally for the ages in the bottom of the fourth inning gave Illinois College all the offense it would need to win the opener between the Blueboys and Scots. Tied at 4-4 going into the frame, an error with two away led to an eight-run inning to break the game wide open.

It was Monmouth jumping on top first against IC starter Dylan Sunderland in the first inning. Two hits and an error contributed to the Blueboys falling behind, 1-0, but they would come back in their first trip to the plate to score two runs. Though Jonathan Schrage was cut down at third base on his two-out hit, he brought Josh Krumwiede into score the second run with a double to the gap in right-center.

After a scoreless second inning, the Scots took the lead once again, plating three runs on Sunderland to double up the Blueboys at 4-2. Blake Abbott scored two runs on a RBI single and Raahsaan Fox added another RBI in the inning. That lead would last only until the bottom of the third. Nick Dalfonso and Austin Dormire each reached via walks to start out the inning and a failed pickoff throw from Monmouth starter Austin Hardy took them to second and third base. A Dalton Kerans single down the left field line brought both of them home to level the contest at 4-4.

A 1-2-3 inning from Sunderland in the fourth brought Illinois College back to the dish in the bottom half and the Blueboys turned the game on its head. Matt Jagodzinski was the lone runner on base with two outs when Ryan Sparks misplayed a ground ball at second base. That error scored Jagodzinski for a 5-4 lead and put Dalfonso on base. A second straight error – this time from shortstop Brandon Harroun – got Dormire on base and moved Dalfonso to third. Next up, Krumwiede singled sharply to left-center, increasing IC's lead to 6-4.

The hit parade continued as Kerans then singled in a run, before Schrage drew a walk in a long battle at the plate and Zac Schopp reached after being hit by a pitch to score another run. With the bags loaded, it came back around to Jagodzinski and the senior delivered a two-RBI single through the left side of the infield, making it 10-4, and Austin Peck would add another two-run single before the Scots could get out of the inning.

After a long spell in the dugout, Sunderland was cold coming out in the fifth and Monmouth scored a pair of runs, but the damage was limited by a sliding catch in foul ground from Jagodzinski that ended the inning.

At 12-6 going into the bottom of the fifth it seemed like more runs were on the horizon, but that ended up being it for the rest of the game. On in relief, Zack Hanlon sat the Scots down in order in the sixth. In the seventh, Monmouth put one on due to an IC error, but a 4-6-3 double play promptly removed him from the basepaths. 

In the eighth, Hanlon issued a lead-off walk but worked around the baserunner and once again put Monmouth down in order in the ninth. In all, the senior worked four hitless innings of relief while striking out five.

Sunderland moved to 4-1 on the year with the victory, scattering those six runs (five earned) across five innings with four strikeouts. Krumwiede was 3-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs scored. Kerans, Schrage and Jagodzinski all ended with two hits each.

Game Two: Monmouth 12, Illinois College 5
The second half of the doubleheader featured another 4-4 tie, this time going into the sixth inning, but it was Monmouth who would grab control of the game to pull away late for the victory. A two-run home run put the Scots on top in the sixth and a six-run eighth inning proved decisive.

The game was scoreless between starters Dylan Jones of Illinois College and Sparks of Monmouth until the third. In the top half of the third, the Scots used three hits and an error from the Blueboys to get the early edge, 2-0. As was the case in the first game, IC had a quick response. Singles from Peck and Dormire sandwiched a Dalfonso walk to load the bases with no outs and a wild pitch brought Peck home to make it 2-1. Krumwiede put another run on the board with a RBI single and the Blueboys took the lead on a ground ball from Kerans that gave Illinois College a 3-2 edge.

In the fourth inning, the Blueboys had a pair of errors that helped Monmouth snag the lead back at 4-3. Patience at the plate in the bottom half led to four walks however, forcing Jagodzinski across from third base to tie the game at 4-4.

Jones pitched through the sixth inning, but he would fall behind that inning as Fox reached on an error to lead off the inning. Next up, pinch-hitter Grant Myers got enough of a Jones offering to place it just beyond the wall in right to give the Scots a 6-4 lead. The Blueboys tried to answer back, but two were left aboard when Krumwiede smashed a line drive that was somehow snared by Hardy at third to end the inning.

In the eighth, things fell apart for the IC bullpen. Monmouth pounded out seven hits to score six times and extend out to a 12-4 lead. A Kerans home run in the bottom of the ninth was small consolation for Illinois College, who saw a six-game winning streak snapped by the Scots.

Jones ended with the loss for IC, falling to 3-2 on the season. Kerans was the lone IC batter with more than one hit in the game, ending 2-for-4.