By: Illinois College won its second MWC game of the season on Sunday with a 10-3 defeat of Monmouth in the opener of a doubleheader.
Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
MONMOUTH, Ill. – The Illinois College baseball team completed its four-game set with Monmouth College on Sunday, splitting two games to move to 14-17 (2-10 Midwest Conference) for the season. The Scots move to 18-16 on the season and conclude the MWC season at 7-9 in the South Division.
The Blueboys will return home to Joe Brooks Field on Tuesday for a non-conference game against Millikin University slated for a 4 p.m. start.
Game One: Illinois College 10, Monmouth 3
A trio of three-run innings was much more than Monmouth could handle in the first game of the doubleheader. IC put three runs up in the third, seventh and ninth innings to put the game away.
D.J. Davis went 7.0 innings allowing three runs (one earned) to move to 4-3.
Dentler Loschen gave up only one hit and struck out two in two innings of relief.
The Blueboys struck first in the second inning as
Austin Peck led off with a single and
Alec Wade came through with a two-out double to bring the senior catcher home for a 1-0 lead.
In the third inning,
Austin Dormire and
Bryce Rooney were aboard for
Cain Brady and the junior doubled to right-center to bring both runners home for a 3-0 advantage.
Connor Melton then singled up the middle with two down to bring Brady home and increase the lead to 4-0 after three.
Monmouth was able to get one run back in the bottom of the fourth, but the 4-1 lead remained intact until the Blueboys put up three more in the seventh on a three-run bomb by Brady to score Dormire and Rooney for a 7-1 lead. The Scots tried to get back into it in the bottom of the inning as an Illinois College error opened the door for two Monmouth runs to make it 7-3.
Walks to
Seth Woollen, Dormire and Brady in the ninth inning had the bases loaded and Peck scored one run on a sacrifice fly to center field. Melton and
Taw Fredrickson followed with back-to-back base hits to make it 10-3 and Loschen sat the Scots down in order to clinch the win in the bottom of the ninth.
Game Two: Monmouth 4, Illinois College 2
The Scots took the lead in the first inning and extended it out to 4-0 after four innings, doing just enough to hold off IC down the stretch.
Dylan Sunderland went the distance for the Blueboys but fell to 5-3 on the season, throwing 8.0 innings and giving up four runs (two earned) with nine strikeouts.
Monmouth went ahead with a run in the first after an error to lead-off hitter Ryan Sparks put him aboard. A double by Austin Hardy plated the run. In the third, a single and a Hardy triple made it 2-0 and Hardy scored later in the inning on another Illinois College error to increase it to a 3-0 lead. The final run for the Scots came in the fourth inning on a Harry Sanchez single and stolen base, followed by a double from Sparks.
The Blueboys weren't having much luck against Monmouth starter Brandon Harroun until the sixth inning when they pushed both of their runs across. Three straight hits from Rooney, Brady and Peck loaded the bases with none away. Melton then hit into a fielder's choice but an error by the Scots scored a run without recording an out. Later in the inning, Wade brought another run in with a sacrifice fly to left.
That inning was the best chance Illinois College had the rest of the way. The last chance for any runs for the Blueboys came in the top of the ninth when
Seth Ferguson hit a one-out single and
Drew Law walked. With runners on the corners and two outs, Rooney grounded out to third base to end it.
