The Monmouth College softball team split a non-conference double header at Eureka (8-20-1) on Tuesday afternoon The Scots (9-17) dropped game one 2-1 in eight innings before winning 7-1 in the nightcap.
Monmouth left the bases loaded in the first inning after an error and two walks. Starting pitcher Abby Leber (Tremont, Illinois) settled in with six strikeouts in the first three innings as the game remained scoreless.
MyKenzie Kloess (Dupo, Illinois) led off the fourth with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Lillian Hucke (Aledo, Illinois). With two down, Leber singled home Kloess for a 1-0 Monmouth lead. Eureka tied the game in the fourth with a solo home run and both teams left runners on base in the fifth and sixth.
Neither team scored in the seventh, sending the game to extras. Monmouth put two on in the eighth but couldn’t take the lead. The first batter in the eighth for Eureka singled home the courtesy runner on second for the 2-1 win.
Leber allowed one run on six hits over six innings in a no-decision. She struck out nine and walked one. Kayleigh Cobb (Pawnee, Illinois) took the loss with one unearned run allowed on one hit and one walk in one inning of work.
GAME TWO
In the second game, pitcher Elizabeth Durfee (Arlington, Washington) kept Eureka off the board in the first four innings and the Scots grabbed the lead in the fifth. Madelyn Belville (Rushville, Illinois) singled with two outs and Leber’s RBI double made it 1-0.
The Scots added on in the sixth as Olivia Riddley (Chatham, Illinois) hit a solo home run with one out for a 2-0 lead. Leading 2-1 the Scots broke the game open in the seventh. Biancha Luna (Monmouth, Illinois) led off with a single and Warmowski singled. An error loaded the bases and Kloess singled home two runs for a 4-1 lead. A passed ball scored Leber and Abby Winstead (Morton, Illinois) singled home Kloess for a 6-1 lead. Luna walked with the bases loaded to bring in Hucke for a 7-1 advantage.
Durfee (2-8) picked up the win with a complete game. She allowed one run on four hits while walking one and striking out two.
MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Leber has thrown at least six innings in five straight starts. Leber moved into a tie for 14th on the single-season strikeouts list with 70 and she topped 250 career strikeouts as well. Durfee tied her season and career high with seven innings pitched and she has three complete games on the season. Warmowski, Kloess, Riddley, and Leber had hits in both games. Leber drove in a run in both gamesRiddley has two home runs on the season. She is tied for the team RBI with nine, matching Kloess. Monmouth is 5-1 against Eureka since the start of the 2012 season. Monmouth starts an 8-game homestand on Friday with a 3 p.m. double header against Augustana.
***Courtesy of Nathan Baliva, Monmouth College***
