Monmouth College 2005 Softball - Results and Game Summaries

May 1, 2005 vs. Illinois College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 2, IC 1 (7-24, 4-9)
A tough season for the softball team ended on a great note as the Fighting Scots defeated the newly-crowned MWC South Division champions. Blayre Scott went the distance, allowing just four hits and no walks, and Drew Robinson had two hits, including a two-out RBI single in the second. Actually, Robinson's big hit, which gave the Scots a 2-0 lead, came on Monday. Rain suspended play shortly thereafter, and the game resumed from that point today.

April 28, 2005 vs. Aurora University, Monmouth, Ill.
Aurora 4, Monmouth 2
Aurora 11,Monmouth 6 (6-24)
A 2-0 Monmouth lead stood up until the fifth inning, when four singles and an error pushed the Spartans ahead by one. Aurora then added an insurance run in the sixth. Jennifer Hass had an RBI single for the Scots and Katti Jablenski drove in the other run. The Scots jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the nightcap, but couldn't hold the lead as Aurora erupted for nine runs in the fifth. Hass, Jackie Hennenfent, Kristin Bickett, Katie Hamilton, Stacia Logan collected two hits each in the late game. Hamilton added two RBI.

April 25, 2005 vs. Illinois College, Monmouth, Ill.
Illinois College 4, Monmouth 2, 11 innings (6-22, 3-9)
The Fighting Scots have had their share of close games this season and Monday's matchup with the Lady Blues of Illinois College was no different. Monmouth pushed IC to the limit, but fell 4-2 in 11 innings. Lady Blues ace Lindsay Stauder did the trick with her arm and her bat, limiting the Scots to just one earned run and driving in the game winning run in the top of the 11th with an RBI double. The Scots had taken a lead in the fourth when Jackie Hennenfent's single plated Drew Robinson. After IC took the lead in the sixth, Monmouth countered with another solo run in their half of the frame as Emily Willems scored on a Kristin Bickett single. Game 2 of the twinbill was suspended by rain in the top of the second with the Scots leading 2-0.

April 24, 2005 vs. Webster University, Monmouth, Ill.
Webster 9, Monmouth 1
Webster 4, Monmouth 3 (6-21)
The Gorloks scored the tying and go-ahead runs in the top of the sixth of the nightcap to complete their sweep. Monmouth carried a 3-2 lead into the inning, scoring all of its runs in the bottom of the second. Stacia Logan had an RBI single and Anna Coutts and Emily Willems also drove in runs. In the opener, the Scots cut into a 4-0 deficit thanks to a pair of Gorlok errors in the sixth, but Webster put the game way its next at-bat, scoring five times thanks to three Monmouth errors. The Scots will be back in action Monday, hosting a rescheduled doubleheader against Illinois College.

April 21, 2005 at Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
Grinnell 7, Monmouth 0
Grinnell 8, Monmouth 0 (6-19, 3-8)
For the first time since 1998, the Fighting Scots will miss out on the postseason. The one consolation against Grinnell was that the elimination didn't come down to a bad call or a fluke play. Rather, the Pioneers left little doubt, outhitting Monmouth 32-7 on the day. The Scots will now try to play the role of spoiler in their final MWC action of the season Saturday against division-leading Illinois College. 

April 17, 2005 vs. Augustana College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 4, Augustana 3
Augustana 13, Monmouth 4 (6-17)
It wasn't quite David vs. Goliath, but the Fighting Scots were still very pleased to come out with a split against an Augie team that entered the day with a 22-6 record. A year ago, the Vikings' Jill Widick no-hit the Scots, but she left the mound after throwing three shutout innings in the opener, and Monmouth got to her replacement for four runs in the fourth to take a 4-2 lead. Emily Willems had the big blow with a two-run single. Jamie Walker came on in the fifth and picked up the save with three innings of three-hit ball. Blayre Scott earned the win. The visitors jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the nightcap, but Monmouth made it a two-run game in the second on RBIs by Katie Hamilton, Stacia Logan and Drew Robinson. The Vikings pulled away from there. Mickenzie Jones and Jennifer Hass each had two hits.

April 16, 2005 at Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, Ill.
Lake Forest 11, Monmouth 3
Lake Forest 4, Monmouth 1 (5-16, 3-6)
The Foresters' Erin Watts belted a home run and drove in six runs in the opener and went 3-for-4 in the nightcap to highlight Lake Forest's 26-hit attack in the twinbill sweep. Teammate Lisa Jeziorny homered and had five hits on the day as the hosts moved back in front of Monmouth in the battle for an MWC playoff berth. The Scots, who fell behind in the first inning by scores of 4-0 and 3-0, respectively, had nine hits on the day, including three for Drew Robinson. 

April 13, 2005 vs. Knox College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 3, Knox 2
Monmouth 6, Knox 3 (5-14, 3-4)
After battling the North Division teams last weekend, the Fighting Scots got their South Division play off on the right foot, in the process handing the Prairie Fire their first MWC losses of the season. Monmouth's bats came alive, pounding out 19 hits in the sweep. The Scots stacked five singles together for three runs in the third inning of the opener and then held off a Knox rally to give Jamie Walker her second win of the year. Blayre Scott took over in the fifth inning for her first save. The pair traded roles in the nightcap, with Scott picking up the win and Walker notching the save. The third inning was again key for Monmouth, as Anna Coutts and Kristin Bickett drove in runs with extra base hits during a four-run rally that gave the Scots a lead they would not surrrender. Drew Robinson paced the Scots with five hits on the day, while Coutts and Emily Willems added four hits apiece and Bickett had three RBIs. 

April 10, 2005 at Midwest Conference Classic, Janesville, Wis.
Lawrence 3, Monmouth 0
Ripon 6, Monmouth 3 (3-14, 1-4)
The Fighting Scots finished with a 1-4 record at the two-day MWC Classic. In the Scots' Sunday opener, Lawrence's Lauren Kost threw a three-hitter and finally got the offensive support she needed in the bottom of the sixth, when the Vikings scored all of the game's runs. Against Ripon, Monmouth trailed throughout, surrendering two first-inning runs.

April 9, 2005 at Midwest Conference Classic, Janesville, Wis.
St. Norbert 9, Monmouth 7
Beloit 1, Monmouth 0
Monmouth 2, Carroll 1, 8 innings (3-12, 1-2)
In a series of games that could have gone either way, the Fighting Scots emerged with one victory Saturday against three opponents from the MWC North Division. That victory came in dramatic fashion in Monmouth's finale, as Anna Coutts belted a leadoff triple in extra innings and scored on an error, which was the only misplay by either team in the tightly-contested matchup. Earlier in the day, St. Norbert rallied from a 5-2 deficit with a six-run fifth inning. The Scots trailed 9-5 entering their last at-bat and made the game close, but could not force extra innings. Beloit made a single unearned run in the second inning stand up against MC's Blayre Scott, who surrendered six hits and no walks in six innings.

March 30, 2005 vs. Illinois Wesleyan University, Monmouth, Ill.
IWU 7, Monmouth 1
IWU 14, Monmouth 1 (2-10)
The Fighting Scots had their hands full against perennial power Illinois Wesleyan. The Titans broke open a close opening game with five runs in the fourth, then slammed the door early in the nightcap with a nine-run second. MC's Emily Bakes only surrendered four earned runs in the second game, but five errors led to 10 more runs, as the Titans smacked 20 hits. Katie Hamilton and Jackie Hennenfent drove in the Scots' runs on the day, and Jennifer Hass was 2-for-2 in the nightcap. Blayre Scott threw 3-2/3 innings of scoreless relief in the opener. For IWU, Laura Johnson was 4-for-4 in the first game and Ashley Deck repeated the feat in the nightcap.

March 24, 2005 at Aurora University, Aurora, Ill.
Aurora 8, Monmouth 0
Aurora 8, Monmouth 0 (2-8)
The host Spartans improved to 13-1 on the year with a convincing sweep of the Fighting Scots. AU's amazing Taylor Petersen pitched the first game, and the Division I transfer improved to 8-0 while keeping her season ERA at 0.00. She allowed hits in the fourth inning to Drew Robinson and Kristin Bickett, but those were the only safeties she surrendered. The name changed, but the results were the same in the nightcap, as the Spartans' Elizabeth Parker pitched a two-hitter. Robinson and Anna Coutts had MC's hits. Petersen was also a star at the plate, going 3-for-8 with four RBIs on the day. 

March 19, 2005 vs. Eureka College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 8, Eureka 2 (2-6)
The Fighting Scots won their home opener, scoring runs in each of the first four frames to top the visiting Red Devils. Offense was the story, as the Scots pounded out 13 hits, including two apiece for Drew Robinson, Emily Willems, Jackie Hennefent and Katie Hamilton. Robinson scored three runs and Hamilton, who had a triple in the game, drove in two. MC starter Emily Bakes yielded three hits and eight walks before giving way in the fifth to Jamie Walker, who worked the final two-and-a-third frames.

March 16, 2005 at MacMurray College, Jacksonville, Ill.
MacMurray 6, Monmouth 1
MacMurray 8, Monmouth 2 (1-6)
The Fighting Scots did not have enough firepower in the lineup or in the pitching circle to prevent a sweep against the Highlanders. All three Monmouth pitchers surrendered five hits, and the Highlanders belted two home runs. Meanwhile, the Scots had nine hits on the day, led by Emily Willems, whose 3-for-6 performance included two doubles. MacMurray jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opener and put the game away with a three-run fifth. In the nightcap, Katie Hamilton's RBI tied the game at 1-1 in the second, but the Highlanders produced three runs in the third and three more in the fifth to win comfortably. Mickenzie Jones had an RBI triple in the opener and Jackie Hennenfent had the Scots' other RBI on the day in the nightcap.

March 11, 2005 vs. Rensselaer Poly Institute, Cape Coral, Fla.
Monmouth 4, RPI 3, 8 innings (1-4)
It took an extra frame, but the Fighting Scots entered the win column on Stacia Logan's game-ending extra base hit. After the first seven innings ended in a 3-3 tie, each team started the extra frame with a runner on second. Jamie Walker pitched out of a one-out, runner on third situation to set the stage for Logan's heroics.

March 11, 2005 vs. Rockford College, Cape Coral, Fla.
Rockford 1, Monmouth 0 (0-4)
The Fighting Scots suffered a heartbreaking defeat when Rockford's Nicole Blankenberger completed a 3-for-3 day with a walkoff triple in the bottom of the seventh to break a scoreless tie. MC hurler Emily Bakes had entered the frame with a four-hit shutout in her best effort of the year to date. The Scots had almost taken the lead in the top half of the frame but were unable to manufacture a run despite a leadoff walk, a sacrifice and a single.

March 10, 2005 vs. Upper Iowa University, Cape Coral, Fla.
Upper Iowa 10, Monmouth 1 (0-3)
Wednesday's rainouts forced the Fighting Scots to schedule on the fly, and they drew Upper Iowa University, which recently upgraded to a Division II scholarship program. The Peacocks jumped ahead with three unearned runs in the top of the first as they took advantage of four Monmouth errors. The Scots got one back in their first at-bat when Drew Robinson singled and scored on a base hit by Kristin Bickett. Robinson and Bickett added hits later in the game and combined to go 4-for-6, but the rest of the lineup was just 1-for-17. Emily Bakes did not allow an earned run until surrendering six in the top of the sixth.

March 7, 2005 vs. Curry College, Ft. Myers, Fla.
Curry 7, Monmouth 0 (0-2)
It was a blue Monday for the Fighting Scots, who dropped their second game of Opening Day when they could manage just two hits off Curry's Allyson Bruder. Those base hits came from Emily Willems and Mickenzie Jones. Meanwhile, Curry rapped out 13 hits overall, including 10 in the first two frames as it built a comfortable 6-0 lead off MC starter Blayre Scott.

March 7, 2005 vs. Kenyon College, Ft. Myers, Fla.
Kenyon 3, Monmouth 1 (0-1)
The Ladies of Kenyon got up early on the Fighting Scots and wouldn't let go, spoiling the debut of new MC softball coach Kari Shimmin. Besides surrendering the game's key hit, a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the first, the Scots' other problem was runners left on base. At least one Scot was stranded in every inning, and the hardest to take came in the top of the sixth, when Jackie Hennenfent started the frame with a triple. However, her pinch-runner was gunned down at the plate on a fielder's choice as the Scots failed to tally a run. Monmouth did crack the scoring column in its last at-bat when Anna Coutts doubled and scored on Emily Willems' base hit. Emily Bakes took the loss for the Scots.