Monmouth College 2007 Baseball - Results and Game Summaries

May 12, 2007 at MWC Championship Tournament, De Pere, Wis.
St. Norbert 4, Monmouth 3 (18-17)
The Fighting Scots went down swinging in their quest to reach the MWC final, putting the tying run on third with one out in the bottom of the ninth. However, the Green Knights turned a do-or-die 6-4-3 double play to escape with the victory and end Monmouth's season. The Scots struck first on Nate Palkovic's RBI groundout, but the Knights tied the game in the third off Drew Johnson and pushed across three more in the fourth. Johnson was solid from there, allowing just two singles and two walks as he went the distance. The Scots edged closer on Jake Bice's RBI single in the sixth and a run-scoring groundout by Beesan Hryckiewicz in the eighth. Willy Mason and Jeremy Kafka singled in the bottom of the ninth before the game-ending twin killing. Kafka added two doubles and finished his brilliant senior season with an .439 average. Kevin Sashko added a single and will take a 22-game hitting streak into next year.

May 11, 2007 at MWC Championship Tournament, De Pere, Wis.
Ripon 13, Monmouth 5
Monmouth 4, Illinois College 3 (18-16)
A three-run rally in their second game of the day allowed the Fighting Scots to extend their season at the MWC playoffs. Jake Bice's two-run, fifth-inning double against Illinois College got Monmouth on the board in the elimination game, and Ryan Stubler followed with a single to tie the score. In the next frame, Nate Palkovic's RBI single pushed the Scots ahead, and Matt Tye made the lead stand up. The sophomore got all but the final out, which Scott Coles recorded on a bases-loaded fly ball in the top of the ninth. It was Tye's third win of the season and Coles' second save. Kevin Sashko had two hits, extending his hitting streak to 21 games. Sashko was a bright spot in the opener, which saw Monmouth fall by eight runs despite matching each of Ripon's 16 hits. The sophomore infielder was 4-for-5 with a home run, and Ryan Priola added a three-run blast. Red-hot Jeremy Kafka stroked three hits and Brian Wilhelm had two doubles, but the offense wasn't enough to prevent Brian Chandler from suffering his first collegiate defeat. Six Monmouth errors led to four unearned runs in the game for Ripon, which awaits Saturday morning's St. Norbert-Monmouth winner in the MWC championship game. 

May 6, 2007 at Augustana College, Moline, Ill.
Augustana 10, Monmouth 5 (17-15)
The Fighting Scots put the wraps on the regular season by seeing their five-game winning streak come to an end. Still, Monmouth finished up on a 15-5 tear after a slow start this spring. The host Vikings broke open a tight 2-1 game in the fifth with three runs, then sealed the outcome with four more in the sixth. For the Scots, Ryan Priola homered, Brian Wilhelm had three singles and Kevin Sashko extended his hitting streak to 19 games.

May 5, 2007 vs. Grinnell College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 9, Grinnell 8, 10 inn.
Monmouth 13, Grinnell 3 (17-14, 9-3)
For the seventh straight season, the Fighting Scots are the Midwest Conference South Division champs. Home runs played a key role in the doubleheader sweep, but it was actually a blooper and a seeing-eye single that propelled Monmouth to victory in the opener. Despite two home runs by Jeremy Kafka, the Scots trailed 8-4 entering the bottom of the eighth. With two outs and runners on first and second, Jake Bice's soft fly to left field fell for a hit, making the score 8-5. A hit batsman and a walk narrowed the gap to two, and Beesan Hryckiewicz tied the game with a two-run single past Grinnell's diving shortstop. The Scots scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th on Ryan Stubler's two-out RBI single. Matt Tye earned the victory, keeping the Pioneers scoreless with four-and-two-thirds innings of two-hit relief. In the nightcap, Kafka's third home run of the day started a back-to-back-to-back series of roundtrippers in the second inning. Nate Palkovic and Bice also left the yard. Bice was 3-for-3 in the game and Ryan Priola was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Stubler earned the win in the seven-inning game, with Drew Johnson retiring the final four batters in order.

May 3, 2007 vs. MacMurray College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 18, MacMurray 6
Monmouth 5, MacMurray 3 (15-14)
The Fighting Scots climbed over the .500 mark for the first time all season with two radically different seven-inning wins. In the opener, a nine-run first frame paved the way for a rout. Jake Bice's three-run homer over the left-field fence was the key blow as 15 Scots came to the plate. A MacMurray grand slam chased starter Nate McCaherty in the next inning, but Monmouth continued to score, as Nate Palkovic had a two-run single during a four-run second inning and Jeremy Kafka laced an RBI single, his fourth hit of the game, in the third. The Scots clouted a trio of homers in the bottom of the sixth, as reserves Matt McIntire, Mark Allemang and Jake Gustafson all left the yard. Chris Schwarz earned the win with four-and-two-thirds innings of one-run relief, but the mound star was Kafka, who pitched two innings and struck out the side in both frames. Monmouth trailed 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth in the nightcap, but Kafka hit a one-out double and scored on Palkovic's single. Bice then knotted the score with an RBI hit, and Ryan Priola's homer snapped the 3-3 tie. Ross Reedy picked up the win in relief. Palkovic struck out in the first inning to snap his string of reaching base in 14 consecutive at-bats, but he had singles in his other two ABs, putting him on an 11-for-12 tear dating back to Saturday. Kevin Sashko had hits in both games to extend his streak to 16.  

April 28, 2007 at Knox College, Galesburg, Ill.
Knox 3, Monmouth 2
Monmouth 16, Knox 12 (13-14, 7-3)
Both games came down to the ninth inning, and the team trailing entering the final frame won. In the opener, Monmouth starter Matt Tye was brilliant through eight innings, allowing just four hits and a run. Leading 2-1, he surrendered three hits to start the bottom of the ninth. Scott Coles inherited the bases-loaded jam and looked like he was going to get out of it when the tying run was snuffed at the plate on a double-play grounder back to the mound. But after an intentional walk, John Campbell stroked a game-winning pinch-hit single. In the nightcap, there were crooked numbers all over the line score, which saw the hosts leading 12-11 entering the final frame. But Kevin Sashko hit a one-out double and scored after a walk, single and error to tie the game. Monmouth then pushed four more runs across the plate to give reliever Drew Johnson the victory, his third of the year. Nate Palkovic, who had a solo homer in the opener, was 5-for-5 in the nightcap and slugged one of Monmouth's three roundtrippers in the victory. The others were hit by Jeremy Kafka and Jake Bice. Sashko has now hit in 14 straight games for the Scots, who lead the MWC South by two games over Knox and Grinnell. 

April 24, 2007 at St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa
Monmouth 11, SAU 7 (12-13)
Playing in John O'Donnell Stadium, home of the Quad Cities' minor league team, the Fighting Scots got their Swing on, knocking 17 hits around the riverfront yard. The meat of the Scots' order -- Nos. 3-4 hitters Ryan Stubler and Ryan Priola -- combined to go 7-for-11, with Priola driving home two runs. Mark Allemang and Kevin Sashko each had two hits, with Sashko extending his hitting streak to a dozen games. Drew Johnson left the mound after five innings trailing 5-4, but he became the winning pitcher when the Scots scored twice in the sixth, including the go-ahead run on a double by Stubler. Ross Reedy pitched the sixth and seventh and Scott Coles picked up the save with two hitless innings.

April 23, 2007 at Illinois College, Jacksonville, Ill.
Monmouth 7, IC 3 (11-13, 6-2)
The Fighting Scots seized control of the South Division by finishing their four-game series against the Blueboys with three victories. Red-hot Kevin Sashko fueled Monmouth's offense, stretching his hitting streak to 11 games with a 4-for-5 performance that included two doubles, two stolen bases and three runs. Ryan Stubler had two hits and three RBIs and starter Ryan Priola helped his own cause with a run-scoring single in the fifth as the Scots stretched their early lead to 6-0. Priola surrendered a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame, but relievers Matt Tye and Chris Albanese finished with four solid innings to preserve Priola's win. Jake Bice and Jeremy Kafka added two hits apiece, and the Scots did not commit an error.

April 21, 2007 vs. Knox College, Monmouth, Ill.
Knox 16, Monmouth 13
Monmouth 11, Knox 4 (10-13, 5-2)
Ryan Stubler was the hero in the nightcap, pitching the Fighting Scots out of a jam in the sixth inning by striking out the side and staying in the rest of the way to save Brian Chandler's win. To his four scoreless innings of relief, Stubler added a 3-for-4 performance at the plate and two RBIs. Jeremy Kafka added two doubles and a two-run single as Chandler improved to 5-0 on the year. The opener was a wild contest that saw the Scots rally to take the lead from a 10-5 deficit only to lose the game in the ninth. Luke Hunter and Paul Bennett homered as the Prairie Fire scored 10 runs in their first three at-bats, but the Scots forged ahead on Ryan Priola's three-run bomb in the fifth. Knox tied the game at 13-13 in the eighth, then took the lead to stay on Greg Leibach's three-run homer in the ninth. Knox's Steve Hoosen retired all six batters he faced to earn the win. On the day, Kafka was 6-for-9 and Nate Palkovic and Priola had four hits. 

April 17, 2007 at Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, Ill.
IWU 10, Monmouth 8 (9-12)
The host Titans rallied on two occasions, seizing the lead for good in the fifth when they turned a bunt single, a steal and another hit into a run. That made the score 8-7, and IWU tacked on insurance runs in the sixth and eighth as the Titans produced runs in all but one of their eight at-bats. Monmouth had a pair of three-run innings to take leads of 3-0 in the first and 7-5 in the fourth. Jake Bice's two-run single was the big hit in the first frame. He finished with two hits and three RBIs, and Ryan Stubler added three hits and drove in two. Kevin Sashko and Ryan Priola also added two hits apiece.

April 16, 2007 at Illinois College, Jacksonville, Ill.
IC 12, Monmouth 9 (9-11, 4-1)
After totaling just 10 hits in 18 innings against the Scots the day before, the Blueboys battered three Monmouth pitchers for 17 hits in eight frames and handed the Scots their first MWC defeat of the season. Crooked numbers in the fourth and fifth frames allowed the hosts to break open a 3-3 game. In all, IC scored in seven of their eight times at bat. Josh Leinberger was 3-for-3 with four RBI to lead the Blueboys. Monmouth's 11-hit attack included a double and two singles by Ryan Stubler. Kevin Sashko added three RBI.

April 15, 2007 vs. Illinois College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 1, IC 0
Monmouth 9, IC 2 (9-10, 4-0)
A week ago, the Fighting Scots were still looking for their first "complete" pitching performance -- a game in which their staff was strong from start to finish. In the last six days, Monmouth has turned in four such efforts, including back-to-back complete games in a Sunday sweep of Illinois College. In the opener, Matt Tye made Ryan Priola's first-inning RBI single stand up. Tye allowed just three hits and a walk as he posted his first collegiate win. Brian Chandler took the hill in the nightcap and was dominant after allowing three hits and an unearned run in the first. Chandler did not walk a batter and yielded just four hits over the final eight frames. Ryan Stubler's two-run single put the Scots in front to stay in the first, and Monmouth broke the game open with six runs in the bottom of the sixth. On the day, the Scots had 23 hits -- all singles -- including four for Kevin Sashko and three apiece by Priola, Stubler, Beesan Hryckiewicz, Jake Bice and Matt McIntire.

April 13, 2007 vs. Robert Morris-Springfield, Monmouth, Ill.
RM-Springfield 2, Monmouth 1 (7-10)
For the first time this season, the Fighting Scots were involved in a pitchers' duel, and two late runs allowed the visiting Eagles to come away with the win. Monmouth snapped a 0-0 tie in the bottom of the fifth, when a sacrifice fly drove in Beesan Hryckiewicz, who had walked. But Robert Morris replied with its own sac fly in the top of the sixth. Two innings later, an infield hit and a sacrifice bunt set the stage for Nick Joyce's game-winning single. Jake Walsh went the distance for the Eagles, scattering five hits and three walks while fanning seven. Monmouth's third pitcher of the day, Matt Bourne, gave up both runs and took the loss. Nate Palkovic had two singles for the Scots, extending his hitting streak to seven games.

April 9, 2007 at Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
Monmouth 12, Grinnell 9
Monmouth 12, Grinnell 0 (7-9, 2-0)
At long last, the Fighting Scots have opened Midwest Conference play, and the result was worth the wait. After its first two league doubleheaders had to be rescheduled, Monmouth began MWC play in style, rallying from a four-run, ninth-inning deficit to win the opener and cruising to its first shutout victory of the season in the nightcap. The host Pioneers actually took a 6-0 lead in the first game and were ahead 9-5 with three outs to go. The Scots quickly filled the bags with no outs, and Nate Palkovic closed the gap to one run with a bases-clearing double. Mark Allemang's RBI single -- his fourth run driven in of the game -- tied the score and, after a Beesan Hryckiewicz hit, Kevin Sashko's three-run homer completed the seven-run rally. Drew Johnson was the pitcher of record, and he retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth. In the nightcap, the Pioneers remained mystified by the pitching of Brian Chandler. As a freshman, Chandler pitched nine innings of scoreless relief in a 1-0 playoff victory over Grinnell, and he tacked on seven more shutout frames as a sophomore, scattering five hits and two walks. Meanwhile, the Scots pounded 17 hits, including a home run by Ryan Stubler and two doubles by Jake Bice. Palkovic drove in three more runs with another bases-loaded double and Jeremy Kafka added a hit, giving him five for the day.  

March 28, 2007 at Iowa Wesleyan College, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa
Monmouth 10, IWC 4 (5-9)
After playing to a 2-2 tie through the first seven innings, Monmouth's offense shifted into high gear. Ryan Priola followed Kevin Sashko's tiebreaking single with a two-run double in the eighth and Beesan Hryckiewicz launched a grand slam homer in the ninth. The late-game heroics meant that Matt Bourne, who pitched the bottom of the seventh, earned the victory. Ryan Stubler got the last six outs to notch the save, and he also had three hits. Priola and Jeremy Kafka were both 3-for-5, and Hryckiewicz, Sashko and Nate Palkovic each added two hits. Chris Schwarz pitched the first four innings, allowing one run on four hits.

March 27, 2007 vs. Eureka College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 8, Eureka 6 (4-9)
The Fighting Scots stretched their winning streak to two, thanks in part to six hit batters, four passed balls, two wild pitches and three errors. Without the benefit of any of those plays, the Scots got some immediate breathing room in the first frame, stringing together five singles and a walk to take a 4-0 advantage. Jeremy Kafka had an RBI single on his way to a 3-for-4 day. Monmouth stretched its lead to 8-2 in the fourth after three straight batters were hit by a pitch. Nate Palkovic followed with a run-scoring single and Mark Allemang drove in another run with a sacrifice fly. Chris Albanese worked the first five frames to earn the victory, scattering five hits and a walk, and reliever Drew Johnson also looked sharp, pitching two hitless frames.  

March 25, 2007 at Robert Morris-Springfield, Springfield, Ill.
Monmouth 13, Robert Morris 6 (3-9)
The Fighting Scots rebounded on the second day of their southern swing, pounding out 14 hits, including two apiece by Nate Palkovic, Kevin Sashko, Ryan Stubler, Ryan Priola and Jeremy Kafka. Palkovic put the Scots ahead to stay in the third with a two-run double, and Priola drove in three runs on the day. Brian Chandler earned his second victory of the season, pitching six innings of five-hit ball. Relievers Matt Bourne, Drew Johnson and Scott Coles each worked an inning, although Monmouth's fourth error of the day led to three unearned runs off Coles in the final frame.

March 24, 2007 at Missouri Baptist University, St. Louis, Mo.
Missouri Baptist 15, Monmouth 0 -- (not an official game)
Missouri Baptist 10, Monmouth 0 (2-9)
The good news is that only five of the 25 runs the Fighting Scots allowed in their doubleheader vs. the NAIA Spartans were earned. The bad news came in the form of 13 errors from the defense and just 10 hits for the offense. Missouri Baptist took care of business quickly in the opener, winning in just five innings thanks to 11 unearned runs off MC starter Matt Tye. The Scots shored things up a little bit in the nightcap, but the hosts still scored in six of the game's seven frames, ending the contest by the 10-run rule in the seventh on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly. Starter Nate McCaherty took the loss. Kevin Sashko, who had two singles, was the lone MC player with more than one hit on the day. On March 28, it was ruled that the first game did not meet the minimum inning standards for an NCAA contest, and the game will not count toward Monmouth's overall record or toward its individual and team statistics. 

March 21, 2007 vs. Augustana College, Monmouth, Ill.
Augustana 12, Monmouth 3 (2-8)
Myles Kurnick had five RBIs and scored three runs as the visiting Vikings completed a sweep of a two-game series that began five days ago in Arizona. With a 3-0 lead entering the top of the fifth, Augustana's first batter, Don Hansen, homered over the right field fence. The Vikings then loaded the bases off Monmouth starter Ryan Priola, and Brian Chandler came on in relief. Kurnick greeted Chandler with a two-run single and Augustana went on to plate six runs in the inning. Monmouth's offense came in the sixth, when Priola had a two-run double and Jeremy Kafka added a sacrifice fly. Eric Knott pitched the first eight frames for Augustana to get the win. 

March 16, 2007 vs. Augustana College, Phoenix, Ariz.
Augustana 7, Monmouth 4 (2-7)
The Fighting Scots' trip to Arizona ended on a sour note as they lost a hard-fought nine-inning game to their non-conference rivals. Monmouth, however, will get a chance for revenge when the teams return to Illinois and meet Wednesday at Glasgow Field. Ryan Priola staked the Scots to an early lead with a two-run single in the first, but Augustana went ahead to stay in the third. The Scots pulled back within one in the top of the eighth when they scored an unearned run, but the Vikings added two key insurance runs in the bottom of the frame. Priola and Jake Bice each had two hits for the Scots, while Nate McCaherty took the loss.

March 14, 2007 vs. UW-LaCrosse, Mesa, Ariz.
UW-LaCrosse 19, Monmouth 1
UW-LaCrosse 16, Monmouth 4 (2-6)
The Fighting Scots' opponent stayed unbeaten on the year, but the nightcap was closer than the final score showed. Monmouth's Brian Chandler was sharp early, throwing hitless innings in the second, third and fourth as the Scots opened a 4-1 lead. Beesan Hryckiewicz's two-run single was the big blow for the MC attack. But the Eagles chased Chandler during a six-run fifth, and they put the game away by scoring eight times in the seventh. In the opener, LaCrosse posted crooked numbers three times, including eight in the second and seven more in the fifth. Jeremy Kafka had two of his three hits on the day and scored the lone run. He is now batting .536.

March 13, 2007 vs. North Park University, Chandler, Ariz.
North Park 14, Monmouth 0 (2-4)
The Fighting Scots got their first well-pitched game of the season -- at least for a while -- before getting North Park mauled. Ryan Priola started the game with five shutout innings, but he was rocked in the sixth as the Vikings scored seven runs. Meanwhile, Monmouth got very little going against NPU's Andrew Sherwood, posting just three hits. None of them were by Nate Palkovic, who saw his hitting streak snapped at 14 games. Former Monmouth resident Blake Boster was 2-for-5 for North Park.

March 12, 2007 vs. Westminster College, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Monmouth 9, Westminster 7 (2-3)
Tom Shaver's clutch bases-loaded single with two outs in the top of the sixth snapped a 6-6 tie and lifted the Fighting Scots to their second victory of the spring. Shaver's big hit came after Monmouth's 3-4-5 hitters -- Ryan Stubler, Ryan Priola and Jeremy Kafka -- had each singled to fill the bags. Stubler finished with three hits, three runs and three RBIs, while Kafka had another three-hit game to raise his average to .600 (12-for-20). Stubler also earned the victory, allowing one earned run in two-and-a-third innings of relief. Chris Albanese got the final four outs to notch the save. The nightcap was called due to darkness before it became an official game.

March 11, 2007 vs. Marian College, Phoenix, Ariz.
Monmouth 15, Marian 8
Marian 12, Monmouth 5 (1-3)
Fighting Scots coach Roger Sander said in the preseason that he needed to find a way to get catcher Chaz Baggio into the lineup. In the opening game against Marian, he discovered a very workable solution. Sander moved starting catcher Beesan Hryckiewicz to left field, where he went 2-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs, and Baggio slid in behind the plate, going 3-for-3 with three runs and three ribbies as the Scots picked up their first win of the season. Designated hitter Jake Bice crushed a three-run homer and Jeremy Kafka continued his torrid start with a 4-for-5 performance. Kafka had two more hits in the nightcap and is now batting .563 in Arizona. Nate Palkovic also had hits in both games, extending his streak to 13 games. Brian Chandler picked up the victory, as only two of the seven runs he allowed were earned. In the nightcap, Marian plated six runs in the top of the fourth to snap a 2-2 tie. Chris Albanese took the loss. Ryan Priola went 3-for-3, while Ryan Stubler had two hits and two RBIs.

March 10, 2007 vs. Macalester College, Phoenix, Ariz.
Macalester 12, Monmouth 7
Macalester 11, Monmouth 5 (0-2)
Led by Beesan Hryckiewicz and Ryan Priola, the Fighting Scots' offense looked to be in mid-season form in its 2007 openers in Arizona. But their pitching and defense are not yet up to speed, as Monmouth pitchers surrendered 17 earned runs and the fielders committed eight errors which led to another six runs. Hryckiewicz, the team's new starting catcher, tripled and homered from the leadoff spot in the first game, knocking in three runs, while Priola had three RBIs in the opener and another in the nightcap. Nathan Palkovic picked up where he left last season, going 3-for-7 on the day to extend his hitting streak to 11. However, starters Matt Tye and Scott Coles were hit hard, with Tye surrendering a grand slam among the 11 runs he allowed and Coles and reliever Chris Schwarz allowing back-to-back four-run innings in the nightcap to break open a 3-2 game.