Just call them the “Comeback Kids.” The Fighting Scots softball team has been playing from behind all season, but they’ve overcome the odds and advanced to the Midwest Conference playoffs for the first time since 2004.

 

New coach John Goddard was still looking for his first win after Monmouth returned from a seven-game season-opening trip to Arizona. If the 0-7 start wasn’t bad enough, Goddard’s Scots also got out of the gate slow in the MWC action, falling to 0-3 after losing the first game of a doubleheader at Knox.

 

Monmouth hasn’t lost a conference game since, although that almost wasn’t the case. In a do-or-die game against Grinnell on April 27, the Scots trailed 4-1 entering their final at-bat. Valerie Mitchell and Jill Hennenfent each drove in runs, but they also made outs on the plays, closing the deficit to 4-3 with two down.

 

Fortunately for the Scots, there was no need to panic, as their best hitter, senior Emily Willems, was at the plate. She belted a game-tying double, then scored the game-winner on a Grinnell error, sending Monmouth into the postseason.

 

Sarah Christensen

Willems has been one of the big stories at the plate all season, leading the Scots with a .447 average and 16 RBI. Another has been Maggie Dort, who’s crushed three home runs and is hitting .349. In the circle, Sarah Christensen has been on quite a roll and has emerged as the team’s ace. She’s 7-3 with a save since the Scots returned from Arizona.

 

Monmouth will meet St. Norbert in one of the MWC semifinals on May 2 at 10 a.m. in Lake Forest. The Scots beat the Green Knights 9-0 in their prior meeting this year.