May 2, 2006 vs. Grinnell College, Monmouth, Ill.
Grinnell 5, Monmouth 1
Grinnell 6, Monmouth 2 (13-20, 7-6)
There will be no postseason party for the Fighting Scots this year, as the Pioneers got the sweep they needed to advance to the MWC playoffs. Grinnell touched Sarah Christensen for three unearned runs in the fourth inning of the opener for all the runs they would need to make a winner of Lee Anne Steinberg. The Scots took the early lead in Game 2 when Jessica Travis' first inning single drove home Anna Coutts, and losing pitcher Amanda Boonstra helped her own cause in the second, reaching on an error and scoring when Emily Willems nursed a bases-loaded walk. But the Pioneers countered with a pair of runs in the fourth to tie the game and then sealed the deal with four more in the sixth.

April 27, 2006 vs. Illinois College, Jacksonville, Ill.
Illinois College 10, Monmouth 4
Illinois College 3, Monmouth 1 (13-18, 7-4)
The Scots will have to wait until Saturday to determine their post season plans. A doubleheader sweep of Monmouth by Illinois College means they will have to pick up at least one win Saturday against visiting Grinnell to return to the Midwest Conference playoffs. IC came out smoking with a 10-4, 3-1 sweep. Unlike the night before, The Scots could not stage a comeback as the Lady Blues led 4-0 before the Scots could muster any runs. After pinch runner Felicia Roberts scored in the fourth with the aid of a stolen base, passed ball and a catcher's error, the Scots appeared ready to work their magic in the fifth when the first four batter reached base. A sac fly by Katie Hamilton scored the hot-hitting Anna Coutts before Kristin Bickett's second hit of the game drove in Emily Willems and Jessica Travis to tie the game at 4-4. IC then pushed three runs of their own across in the bottom of the inning and another three in the sixth put the game out of reach. Sarah Christensen suffered the loss to fall to 6-5. The Lady Blues scored the only runs they would need in the night cap with a pair of hits and an error in the top of the third. Monmouth's only run came in the bottom of the frame when Drew Robinson scored on an outfield error. Amanda Boonstra lowered her ERA by allowing just one earned run.

April 26, 2006 vs. Knox College, Galesburg, Ill.
Monmouth 16, Knox 6
Monmouth 10, Knox 2 (13-16, 7-2)
It wasn't as easy as the final scores indicated, but the Fighting Scots swept Knox to stay in the chase for the Midwest Conference South Division title. The Prairie Fire led both games of the twinbill before the Scots caught fire - literally. Knox went ahead in Game 1 when Kate Latshaw took Sarah Christensen deep to give the Fire a 3-1 lead after one inning. Emily Fenwick added a two-run homer in the third to stretch the Fire's advantage to 5-2, and an insurance run in the fifth made it 6-2. Fortunately for Monmouth, Knox did not have a supplemental policy, as the Scots pushed across a school-record 14 runs in the sixth inning. The floodgates opened as six of the Scots' first seven batters had hits, and Knox fueled the rally by walking four straight batters with the bases loaded. Emily Willems had the rare honor of batting three times in the inning and Jackie Hennenfent had a pair of two-run doubles in the decisive frame. Anna Coutts went 4-for-4. Game 2 was much like the first, with the Fire leading 2-0 going into the bottom of the fourth. Home runs in the inning by Willems and Hennenfent gave Monmouth a 7-2 lead. Amanda Boonstra did the rest in the circle scattering seven hits and striking out six. Monmouth sits in second place in the division with four league games remaining, two at Illinois College Thursday and a home twinbill with Grinnell Saturday.

April 20, 2006 vs. Eureka College, Eureka, Ill.
Eureka 2, Monmouth 1 (11-16)
A well-played game of college softball came right down to the final batter, but it was the host Red Devils who emerged with the non-conference win. Trailing 2-0 entering the top of the seventh, a Jessica Travis single and a fielder's choice left the Scots with a runner on first with two outs. Katie Hamilton belted an RBI triple to get Monmouth within 60 feet of tying the score, but Eureka's Janelle Phillips induced a groundout to end the game and finish with a four-hitter. Monmouth's Sarah Christensen was also strong, but was reached for a pair of singles in both the third and six innings to account for Eureka's runs. Neither pitcher walked a batter, and only one error was committed in the game.

April 13, 2006 vs. Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, Ill.
IWU 11, Monmouth 3
IWU 4, Monmouth 2 (11-15)
A late Monmouth rally fall short in the nightcap, allowing the host Titans to sweep a non-conference doubleheader. With two outs in the seventh and a runner on first, a single, a wild pitch and an error led to Monmouth two runs and brought the tying run to the plate. But Emily Willems, who had earlier extended her hitting streak to 13 games, grounded out to short to end the game. Amanda Boonstra took the loss, yielding six hits and five walks in six innings. In the opener, Sarah Christensen's run of strong performances this month ended, as the Titans got to her for 16 hits and nine runs in a game that ended in the bottom of the sixth.

April 9, 2006 at Midwest Conference Classic, Janesville, Wis.
Monmouth 7, Ripon 2
St. Norbert 11, Monmouth 3 (11-13, 5-2)
It's been an April to remember for Fighting Scots' pitcher Sarah Christensen. After posting an 0-2 record with a 7.88 ERA in March, all Christensen has done in the first nine days of the new month is get the winning decision in all five of her appearances, including three at the Midwest Conference Classic this weekend. Her third and final victory came against Ripon in the Scots' first game of the day. She allowed seven hits and two earned runs in the complete game, striking out four and issuing no walks. Her offensive support came in the form of a couple big hits, as Jessica Travis belted a two-run homer in the first and Katie Hamilton stroked a two-run triple in the fifth. Thanks to homers by Jackie Hennenfent and Kristin Bickett, Monmouth took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth vs. St. Norbert, but the Green Knights, who also finished 4-1 at the Classic, broke through for 11 runs in their final two at-bats. 

April 8, 2006 at Midwest Conference Classic, Janesville, Wis.
Monmouth 9, Beloit 2
Monmouth 9, Carroll 5
Monmouth 7, Lawrence 5 (10-12, 4-1)
On a day when the Fighting Scots won three games, they saved their most memorable victory for last. In the bottom of the fifth, the Scots trailed 5-0 with two outs and runners on second and third. The next five Monmouth batters reached base, including Brittany Smith, who had a two-run single, and Kristin Bickett, who doubled to drive in two runs and give the Scots a 6-5 lead. Pitcher Sarah Christensen had entered the game in the top of the fifth, and she wound up pitching three shutout innings to get her second win of the day. Her first came against Beloit, as she went the distance, giving up seven hits and two walks while striking out four. Drew Robinson and Jackie Hennenfent each had three hits and Emily Willems and Katie Hamilton slugged home runs. Against Carroll, Jessica Travis' two-run double got the Scots on the board in the first, and she finished with three hits and four RBI. Robinson also had a three-hit game, her second of the day, and Amanda Boonstra picked up the win. 

April 4, 2006 vs. Aurora University, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 3, Aurora 2
Aurora 3, Monmouth 2, 8 inn. (7-12)
The Fighting Scots' Sarah Christensen proved last Saturday's pitching performance was no fluke by topping the highly-touted Spartans in the opener. She picked up the complete-game victory, allowing no earned runs while scattering seven hits en route to handing Aurora only its second loss of the season. Monmouth took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second when Anna Coutts' single plated Felecia Roberts and Jackie Hennenfent scored on a Drew Robinson groundout. The Spartans tied the game in the fourth and the score stayed deadlocked at 2-2 until Emily Willems' heroics in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs and the bases loaded, Willems singled up the middle to drive Hennenfent home with the winning run. Game 2 was much like the first with Monmouth leading early. Leading off the bottom of the first, Robinson reached on an error and tole second. Ashley Parer then advanced her to third on a groundout, and she scored on a wild pitch. Aurora countered with two runs in the fourth and Monmouth tied it in the sixth when Hennenfent doubled in Katie Hamilton. Aurora won the game in the eighth, scoring on a wild pitch. Hennenfent picked up three hits on the day.

April 1, 2006 vs. Lake Forest College, Monmouth, Ill.
Lake Forest 8, Monmouth 6
Monmouth 7, Lake Forest 1 (6-11, 1-1)
Although it was good news that the Fighting Scots took a game from preseason MWC favorite Lake Forest, Monmouth had every reason to believe it should have swept the doubleheader after giving up six unearned runs in the opener. It appeared the Scots had broken the first game open with a five-run fifth inning that gave them a 6-2 lead. Jessica Travis' three-run homer was the key blow. But the Foresters scored six times in the top of the sixth thanks, in part, to two Monmouth errors. The Scots should have been out of the inning by the time Melissa Wegner batted with the bases loaded. Instead, she hit a go-ahead grand slam homer. In the nightcap, the Scots continued to pound the ball, adding 13 hits to their 11 from the opener. Kristin Bickett starred with three RBI, including a two-run single in the fifth as Monmouth went up 7-0. Sarah Christensen went the distance, pitching a five-hitter. For the day, Drew Robinson had four hits, and Emily Willems, Bickett and Ashley Parer each had three.

March 29, 2006 vs. Augustana College, Rock Island, Ill.
Augustana 3, Monmouth 2
Augustana 5, Monmouth 4 (5-10)
The doubleheader was as close as the scores indicate, as the Fighting Scots led after three innings in both contests. Jessica Serritella's two-run double in the opener was the only scoring of the game until the bottom of the fourth, when the hosts pulled within a run. The Vikings then went ahead in the sixth on Cammie Bourlet's two-run double. In the nightcap, Monmouth was up 3-2 through three frames, with Emily Willems' delivering a two-run double. But Augie tied the game in the fourth and plated the winning runs on Sam Knox's two-run single in the fifth. Serritella finished the day 3-for-5 with three RBI. Emily Boonstra pitched the opener, yielding just one earned run in six innings.

March 26, 2006 vs. UW-Stout & St. Mary's U., Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Monmouth 5, UW-Stout 1
St. Mary's 4, Monmouth 1 (5-8)
The Fighting Scots began the day in style, scoring three runs in the first inning en route to a victory over UW-Stout. Jessica Travis knocked in the first run of the day when her first-inning double plated Drew Robinson. Jackie Hennenfent then delivered a two-run single driving in Travis and Ashley Parer. The Scots led 3-1 going into the top of the sixth, and Katie Hamilton drove in a pair of insurance runs with her base hit, which plated Travis and Hennenfent. Amanda Boonstra went the distance to pick up her third win. In the nightcap, Sarah Christensen took the hard-luck loss, blanking St. Mary's until the fourth when SMU manufactured two runs. Monmouth scored its lone run in the top of the sixth when Parer's double plated Robinson. 

March 25, 2006 vs. Cornell Coll. & Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cornell 5, Monmouth 1
Coe College 14, Monmouth 2 (4-7)
It was a tough day at the office for the Fighting Scots as Cornell plated all its runs in the first inning to coasted to a victory in the opening round of the Coe Tournament. Amanda Boonstra allowed just six hits, but the Rams took advantage of four hits and two wild pitches in the opening frame to set the tone. The Scots scored their lone run in the seventh when Drew Robinson picked up her second hit of the game and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Ashley Parer also had a pair of hits in the opener. Coe used a pair of five-run innings to down the Scots in the second game. The Scots' bright spot came in the third when Jessica Travis singled and Emily Willems followed with a two-run homer to left center. Sarah Christensen, Blayre Scott and Jessica Serritella all saw action in the circle against the Kohawks.

March 18, 2006 vs. Wartburg College, Monmouth, Ill.
Wartburg 18, Monmouth 0 (4-5)
The Knights entered the day sporting an 11-1 record, and they backed up their solid credentials with strong offense and dominant pitching. They scored multiple runs in every inning and were led by Stephanie Howe, who hit for the cycle and finished 4-for-4 with seven RBI. Pitchers Jackie Sorensen and Angela Hartwig combined to strike out 10 batters in the five-inning game, although Emily Willems and Jackie Hennenfent did get hits.

March 15, 2006 vs. MacMurray College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 6, MacMurray 5
Monmouth 10, MacMurray 2 (4-4)
Down 5-1 entering the bottom of the seventh, the Fighting Scots stormed back for a dramatic win, and they rode that momentum to a sweep over a Highlanders team that beat Monmouth 6-1 and 8-2 a year ago. Emily Willems started the game one rally with a double and Amanda Boonstra was hit by a pitch. After Anna Coutts' RBI grounder, Kristin Bickett stroked an RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-3. Drew Robinson laced an RBI triple to get Monmouth within 60 feet of tying the game, and they did just that when Ashley Parer singled. Jessica Travis kept the inning going with a single, and after MacMurray failed to get the third out on Jen Hass's grounder, Jackie Hennefent singled to the gap in right-center to drive in the winning run. In the nightcap, both teams scored single runs in the first and second, but the Scots plated four runs in both the third and fourth innings. Travis crushed a three-run homer in the fourth to cap her 3-for-3 game. Jessica Serritella earned the win.

March 10, 2006 vs. St. John Fisher & Rockford, Cape Coral, Fla.
St. John Fisher 15, Monmouth 7
Rockford 9, Monmouth 1 (2-4)
Although the Fighting Scots lost twice by eight runs, the first game was much closer than the final. The Scots trailed just 6-5 thanks to RBI singles by Ashley Parer and Jessica Travis in the bottom of the fourth. But SJF replied immediately with back-to-back homers to lead off the fifth and never looked back, scoring nine times in its final two at-bats. Travis was 4-for-4 in the game with four RBI. In the second game, Rockford broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the third with four unearned runs following two Monmouth errors. The Scots booted two more balls in the game, allowing the Regents seven unearned runs in all. Anna Coutts' RBI single provided the Scots' lone offense.