The Monmouth College baseball team split a home double header on Sunday against Grinnell College. The Scots (14-9, 12-7) won the opener 5-0 before dropping game two 9-7 in 10 innings.
Nathan Willig (Oswego, Illinois) tossed a complete-game shutout in the opener. He struck out one, walked one and scattered seven hits over nine innings while improving to 3-0 on the season.
The Scots got on the board in the fourth inning against Brock Weirather who threw a perfect game against Knox last Sunday. Mike Dato (Oswego, Illinois) gave the Scots a 1-0 lead when he singled home Logan Komater (Ottawa, Illinois).
In the fourth Nate Melvin (Ottawa, Ilinois) doubled home Sean Davis (Barrington, Illinois) and Dato for a 3-0 Scots lead. The Scots added on against Weirather in the sixth as Jackson Van Iwaarden (Ballwin, Missouri) double homer Davis. Komater’s single in the seventh scored Jordan Ball (Moscow Mills, Missouri) for the final run of the game.
The Scots jumped out to a lead in game two as well. Dato single home Matt Temaner (Gurnee, Illinois) in the first inning. A wild pitch scored Komater for a 2-0 Scots lead.
In the third inning Justin Bost (Reynolds, Illinois) tripled home David and pinch-runner Thomas Witty (Northbrook, Illinois) for a 4-0 lead. Melvin’s single in the third inning plated Bost for a 5-0 lead.
Trevor Davis (Waterloo, Illinois) got the start and allowed one earned run on three hits over six innings. He struck out three, walked three and left with a 5-2 lead after six.
The Pioneers scored twice in the seventh to cut the Scots lead to 5-4. Shamus Murphy (Milan, Illinois) singled home Bost for a 6-4 Scots lead in the seventh and neither team scored in the eighth.
Grinnell took the lead in the top of the ninth with a two-base error and an infield single loading the bases. A double scored all three runners to put the Pioneers on top 7-6.
Monmouth rallied in the ninth. Grant Powers (Keller, Texas) singled with one out and Jake Brewer (Gibson City, Illinois) was hit by a pitch. Pinch runner Riley Fetterer (Rockridge, Illinois) scored the tying run on a wild pitch but the Scots left a runner at third base.
Grinnell hit a leadoff homer in the 10th and added another run for a 9-7 lead. Temaner walked to start the Scots 10th and he moved to second on a passed ball. But the Scots couldn’t get any closer and lost 9-7.
MONMOUTH MOMENTS:
Sean Davis, who had six hits against Grinnell in Saturday’s doubleheader, had two hits in the opener…
Ball collected his fifth triple of the season, tied for third-most in Scots single-season history…
Willig is the second Scots pitcher to throw a nine-inning complete game shutout at home this season…
Jeff Garrett (Aledo, Illinois) had a CGSHO against Knox on April 12…
Willig’s previous career high was seven innings at Cornell on April 3…
The Scots are 3-0 against Grinnell in game one of DH’s this season winning by a combined score of 28-4…
Grinnell has won two of the three game two’s by a combined scored of 37-36…
The Scots finish the season 4-2 against the Pioneers…
Monmouth has 10 days off before hosting Knox College in a double header at Noon on Thursday, May 13
Monmouth’s final four games of the regular season are against Knox.
***Recap courtesy of Monmouth College Athletics***
