The Monmouth College softball team rallied to beat Eureka College 4-2 in eight innings on Thursday. Game two of the doubleheader was halted by rain in the third inning and canceled.
Eureka scored in the second inning to lead 1-0 and neither team scored again until the seventh. Jordan Lantz (Alexis, Illinois) was hit by a pitch to start the inning and with one out, Lillian Hucke (Aledo, Illinois) singled. With two outs, Karliegh Ashby (Monmouth, Illinois) reached on an error and Lantz scored to tie the game.
Kayleigh Cobb (Pawnee, Illinois) took over on the mound in the bottom of the seventh for Alyssa Hefflefinger (Olin, Iowa) and stranded two runners. With Kendall Lewis (Cambridge, Illinois) running at second to start the eighth inning, Grace Wyman (Pekin, Illinois) walked. With an out,. Savannah Powers (Volo, Illinois) singled to load the bases and Lantz was hit by a pitch to give Monmouth a 2-1 lead. Cobb walked to score Wyman for a 3-1 lead and Hucke drove in Powers for a 4-1 Monmouth lead.
Eureka scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the inning but Cobb retired the final two batters to preserve the win. Cobb (1-1) picked up the win with two innings of relief work. She allowed two hits and didn’t allow an earned run. Hefflefinger didn’t allow an earned run over six innings of work in a no-decision.
MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Lantz was hit by a pitch twice on the day and she leads the MWC with 12 HBP on the seasonLantz already holds the Monmouth single-season HBP record and the career record is 17Hucke had two hits for the Scots, her fourth multi-hit game of the seasonHefflefinger tied her career high in innings pitched (6.0) from March 24 against BlackburnCobb picked up her first career winAll five Monmouth hits were singlesThe Scots are 25-18 all-time against Eureka with two straight wins in the seriesMonmouth starts MWC action with a 1 p.m. DH at home on Saturday against Ripon.
***Courtesy of Nathan Baliva, Monmouth College***
