MONMOUTH, Ill. - Illinois College split a high-scoring Midwest Conference doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon, falling 8-7 in the opener before bouncing back for an 11-10 victory in the nightcap.
The Blueboys move to 14-12 overall and 5-3 in conference play.
Game One - Monmouth 8 Illinois College 7
Illinois College jumped out early with two runs in the first inning as Nathan Walker stole home and Ethan Klunk added an RBI single. The Blueboys extended the lead in the second, highlighted by Tyler Barker's two-run double and an RBI from Nolan Decker to make it 5-1.
Monmouth chipped away with a pair of runs in the second and tied the game with two more in the fifth before taking a 6-5 lead in the sixth on an unearned run. Illinois College answered in the seventh when Decker delivered a two-run single to put the Blueboys back in front, 7-6.
The lead was short-lived, as Monmouth scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to reclaim the advantage. Illinois College put the tying run on base in the ninth but could not push it across.
Decker finished with three RBIs, while Barker drove in two. Walker scored three times in the contest. Coy Dettmer tossed two innings of relief without allowing an earned run, and Xavier Koch was charged with the loss.
Game Two - Illinois College 11 Monmouth 10
The nightcap featured more offensive fireworks. Monmouth struck first with a three-run homer in the opening inning, but Illinois College responded with a six-run third to seize control.
Decker started the rally with an RBI single before Ketch Mills and Klunk each drove in runs. Nicholas Muskopf added an RBI single, and Logan Fleener capped the inning with a two-run home run to give the Blueboys a 6-3 lead.
After Monmouth surged back ahead 8-7 and later 9-7, Illinois College responded again in the seventh with back-to-back solo home runs from Fleener and Alex Loman to tie the game at 9-9.
The Blueboys took the lead for good in the eighth. Muskopf tripled home a run before Fleener followed with an RBI double to make it 11-9. Monmouth added a solo homer in the bottom half, but Aidan Lougeay shut the door over the final four innings to earn the win.
Fleener had a huge performance, going 4-for-5 with two home runs and four RBIs. Muskopf collected three hits and two RBIs, while Decker added two hits and an RBI. Loman also drove in two runs in the victory.
Up Next
The Bluboys will welcome Cornell this weekend for another Midwest Conference series starting on Saturday at the Joe Brooks Field starting at 12:00pm.
