SCOTS BACK IN THE SWING, SWEEP GRINNELL

At long last, the Fighting Scots have opened Midwest Conference baseball action, and Monday’s result was worth the wait. After its first two league doubleheaders had to be rescheduled, Monmouth began MWC play in style at Grinnell, rallying from a four-run, ninth-inning deficit to stun the Pioneers 12-9 in the opener and cruising to its first shutout victory of the season, a 12-0 triumph, in the nightcap.

"We knew it was gone the minute it left the bat," said coach Roger Sander of Sashko’s first home run as a Fighting Scot.

Sophomore Drew Johnson (North Henderson, Ill./United) was the pitcher of record, and he retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth, capping a two-inning, one-hit relief stint.

The game featured two pitchers who had the other team’s number last year. Grinnell’s Sam Eaton blanked the Scots in a two-game, 15-inning stretch last May, including a memorable duel with sophomore Brian Chandler (Petersburg, Ill./Athens), who pitched nine innings of scoreless relief in a 1-0 playoff victory over the Pioneers.

Chandler tacked on seven more shutout frames Monday, scattering five hits and two walks as he improved to 3-0 on the year and remained unbeaten in his college career.

For a while, another 1-0 type game seemed possible. The contest was scoreless through three frames, and Monmouth was able to push across single runs in the fourth and fifth.

"We missed some opportunities early, then our bats exploded," said Sander, whose team pushed across 10 runs on seven hits in the final two frames. Junior Ryan Stubler (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) homered in the fifth and senior Jake Bice (Colchester, Ill./West Prairie) had two doubles, including one that set up the game’s biggest hit, another three-run double by Palkovic. Senior Jeremy Kafka (Huntley, Ill./Huntley) added a hit, giving him five for the day and improving his team-high average to .460.

"If we put it all together, we can be pretty good," said Sander, whose team has hit, pitched and fielded well in two of their past three games. "I was also happy with our productivity in the first game. Our 3-4 hitters went 0-for-9, and we still scored 12 runs."

The sweep stretched the Scots’ winning streak to five games and improved their season record to 7-9. Monmouth will have to wait until Friday to extend that streak, as today’s nine-inning game against Robert Morris-Springfield was pushed back due to poor weather. The Scots defeated RM-S 13-6 on March 25.

Monmouth is also scheduled to play a home doubleheader Saturday against Illinois College, as well as a single game at IC on Sunday and a single game at Illinois Wesleyan on Tuesday.

NETTERS WIN A BIG ONE

In the current state of the Midwest Conference’s South Division, the Monmouth vs. Lake Forest match is the key match of the season. With Grinnell a fixture at the top of the standings and Knox and Illinois College in the fourth and fifth positions, the battle between the Scots and Foresters decided who placed second and qualified for the MWC team playoffs last season, and it likely will do so again this spring.

The teams met Saturday in the Huff Athletic Center and found themselves tied at 3-3 with three singles matches in progress. Junior Kevin Kamenjarin (Marist, Ill./Alsip) pushed the Scots in front for the first time by finishing off a 6-1, 7-5 victory at No. 3 singles.

After winning his first set 6-0, No. 4 singles player Matt Moser (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West) found himself trailing in the second set. He rallied to force a tiebreaker and eventually pulled out a 6-0, 7-6 (7-4) victory to give Monmouth its fifth win and ice the match. Senior Alex Carter (Wilton, Iowa/Wilton) then sealed the 6-3 team victory with his 11th straight singles win, playing "lights out" in a 6-1, 6-1 triumph.

"Even though we lost two of the three doubles matches, I had a calm about me," said MC coach Chad Braun. "I had a feeling we’d find a way to get it done. We were pretty outstanding in singles."

"Jared was in control right from the start at No. 1, and Kyle didn’t get rattled in his match," said Braun. "He kept his composure and stuck to his game plan. He got on a roll and closed him out."

The Scots, who improved to 10-4 on the year, were scheduled to return to action today against Knox, which fell 8-1 to Lake Forest on Saturday. However, that match has been postponed to April 17, so Monmouth’s next action will come this weekend with matches in Wisconsin against North Division foes Ripon, St. Norbert and Lawrence.

In other tennis news, three Fighting Scots are currently in line to become the first documented players in the history of the program to post 50 singles victories. Moser has won 46 matches, while Kunkle and Carter have each won 45. Monmouth’s veteran six-man singles lineup features the six winningest players in the history of the program.

FROZEN FORE: GOLFERS WIN SCOT-FIRE INVITE

If you’re ready to throw up your hands in disgust over the week-long frigid temperatures in the Midwest, that frustration would not be unlike the mood of several visiting teams at last weekend’s Scot-Fire Invitational. After battling the cold and wind at Soangetaha Country Club on Friday, a half dozen squads pulled out of the tournament, skipping the second 18 holes Saturday at Gibson Woods.

"We talked all week that the weather was going to be bad," MC coach Dave Ragone told the Galesburg Register-Mail. "Our kids did a great job mentally on Friday of just getting through the conditions. I told them they aren’t allowed to complain about the weather."

Despite the continued rough conditions, seven Scots golfers broke 80 on Saturday, including sophomore Jake Kilberg (Rock Falls, Ill./Rock Falls), who added his 78 to an identical round he’d shot the day before. His score of 156 tied for third among the 50 golfers who competed both days.

Also scoring well on their home course were senior Nick Harwick and junior Aaron Thiel (76), junior Joel Johnson (77), senior Jeff Denny (78) and seniors Justin Martin and Lee Radford (79). Martin and Denny wound up tying for sixth with a two-day score of 159, while Radford and Johnson tied for eighth at 160.

In all, 18 Monmouth golfers played all 36 holes. Freshman Riley Parungao (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame) had the best two-day score from the other two squads, firing a 168 that would have scored for every team except the Scots’ "A" unit and Iowa Wesleyan.

The weather still wasn’t ideal on Monday, but with little wind, it was a huge improvement, and the Scots fired some very respectable scores at a 36-hole event hosted by Springfield College.

Leading the way for the Scots was Radford, who carded rounds of 75 and 76 at the Bulldog Invitational, which was played at Springfield’s Panther Creek Golf Club.

"It’s good to see Lee get back on track," noted Ragone.

"The type of play we got from Aaron is what we’re going to need from our sixth man down the road," noted Ragone.

As a team, Monmouth shot rounds of 304 and 313. It’s not yet known where their score of 617 placed in the 16-team field, although John A. Logan College won the event with a score of 573.

"It was a neat tournament," said Ragone. "It’s an awesome course with a great layout and thick rough."

The Fighting Scots are scheduled to play 36 holes this Friday and Saturday at the Ripon Invitational, which is played at the Lawsonia Golf Course in Green Lake, Wis.

SOFTBALL ON EXTENDED BREAK

In Major League Baseball, most players will say that they appreciate the three-day rest they get during the midseason All-Star break. The Monmouth softball team is approximately halfway through its season, but their midseason layoff, which will reach 13 games heading into this weekend’s scheduled action, is not exactly what coach Kari Shimmin had in mind.

The Scots will take a 5-11 record into the Midwest Conference Softball Classic in Janesville, Wis., where they are scheduled to play all five North Division teams. Monmouth meets Carroll, Lawrence and Ripon on Saturday, with games against St. Norbert and Beloit on Sunday. The games, especially on Saturday, are no sure thing, as the area may be digging out of a mid-week snowstorm that could produce as much as a foot of snow. It’s possible that the event will be pushed back a day and played on Sunday and Monday.

Heading into the event, Monmouth’s statistical leaders include senior Drew Robinson (St. Charles, Ill./North) in average (.509), hits (27), runs (15), triples (3) and stolen bases (9); freshman Kembra Bell (Beardstown, Ill./Beardstown) and senior Jackie Hennenfent (Wataga, Ill./ROWVA) in both RBIs (11) and doubles (5); Hennenfent in walks (9); and junior Emily Willems (Moline, Ill./Rockrodge) in sacrifices (4). In addition to Robinson’s lofty average, Bell is hitting .354, Willems is at .348, sophomore Ashley Parer (Rock Island, Ill./Rock Island) is hitting .311 and Hennenfent’s mark is .302.

The Scots’ main pitchers are freshman Valerie Mitchell (3-5, 3.85) and sophomore Sarah Christensen (2-6, 4.20).

BETOURNE CATCHES ON WITH BLUE THUNDER

Former Fighting Scots standout Alan Betourne has been drafted by the Tarrant County Blue Thunder of the Continental Baseball League, which is scheduled to begin its inaugural season on May 25.

Betourne is slated to play first base for the Fort Worth, Texas-based team, which will be managed by former big leaguer Curtis Wilkerson.

While at Monmouth, Betourne was a two-time first team All-Midwest Conference pick, and he made the second team as a sophomore. In his 96-game career, Betourne hit .344, including a high of .388 as a senior. His other career totals included 108 hits, 15 doubles, 11 triples, five home runs, 60 RBI and 15 stolen bases.

"Alan is a kid who made himself a better player," said MC coach Roger Sander. "He did that through hard work and listening. He’s continually worked at it, and he’s never given up his dream."

Another former Fighting Scot, Josh Ragar, hopes to play professional ball this summer as a member of the Pensacola Pelicans.