The Monmouth College baseball team lost the game and series to Knox on Sunday with a 10-9 setback. The Fighting Scots (10-17, 5-6) led two different times but ultimately left the tying and winning runs on base in the ninth inning.
Monmouth starter Roy Ralston (Macon, Illinois) hit the first batter of the game and an infield single put two on with nobody out. He bounced back with a strikeout, pop up and strikeout to strand two Knox runners.
Nate Reed (Chenoa, Illinois) singled with one out in the second and was forced out on a grounder by Alexander Dye (Albuquerque, New Mexico). Raul Guillermo (Miami, Florida), who broke the Monmouth career home run record on Saturday, launched a no-doubter to left field for a 2-0 lead. The home run is his sixth of the season and 21st of his career.
Knox responded in the third inning with a pair of homers to take the lead. They led off with a solo homer from the #9 hitter before a walk, stolen base and single tied the game. A 2-run homer with one out gave the Prairie Fire a 4-2 advantage. A single and 2-out double added another run for a 5-run inning.
Reed singled with one out in the bottom of the third and moved to second when Dye singled to center. Guillermo tied the game with a 3-run homer inside the fair pole down the right-field line, his second homer of the game. The homer gave Guillermo his first multi-homer game at Glasgow Field and was his fourth at home this season.
In the fourth, Aiden Scott (Carrollton, Texas) led off with a single and moved to third on sacrifice bunts by Hunter Wheat (Athens, Illinois) and Gabriel Zeigler-Harris (East Peoria, Illinois). Daniel Lummus (New Port Richey, Florida) singled to left to put the Scots on top 6-5. Lummus stole second and scored on a single by Reed for a 7-5 Monmouth lead.
Scott led off the sixth with a double and Wheat beat out a bunt single to put runners on the corners. Scott scored on a wild pitch for an 8-5 lead. With two down, Reed walked to put runners on the corners and Dye walked. Knox’s center fielder Tyler Thiem made a diving catch in right-center as Guillermo came within inches of a 3-run double but instead the inning ended with the bases loaded.
Caleb Ochs (Royal, Illinois) took over on the mound in the seventh and gave up a lead-off double and hit a batter. With two outs, a double plated two runs and a triple off the glove of a diving Zeigler-Harris tied the game.
Aidan Parkins (Monmouth, Illinois) led off the seventh with a single to left and he moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Eric Campen (Washington, Illinois). Scott walked but a double play ended the inning with the game tied.
Knox took the lead in the eighth against reliever Nick Villa (El Segundo, California). A leadoff walk and double made it 9-8 before a dropped fly ball in right field gave the Prairie Fire a 10-8 lead.
With one out in the eighth, Lummus tripled to right and scored on a wild pitch. However, a strikeout and flyout kept Knox on top 10-9.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, pinch-hitter Reid Stufflebeem (Galesburg, Illinois) singled to right. Drew Brown (Alexis, Illinois) ran for Stufflebeem and he moved to third on a single by Campen. Jonas Buckles (Albuquerque, New Mexico) ran for Campen and advanced to second on a passed ball. With two outs, a strikeout ended the game with Knox winning 10-9.
Villa (0-1) took the loss in relief with two runs allowed, one earned, over two innings. Ralston took a no-decision as he allowed five runs over six innings while striking out eight,
MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Guillermo had his first multi-homer game at home and the second of his career … He has eight multi-RBI games this season and 33 in his career … Eight of his 22 career homers have come at Glasgow Field and 14 have been in MWC action with four against Knox … Guillermo passed Ryan Stubler for ninth on the career hits list and also passed Chris Wheat four fourth on the career total bases list … Lummus moved into 11th on the career hits list, passing Matt Temaner … Scott has four 3-hit games this season … Campen and Wheat both had sac bunts and lead the team with three each … Reed also had three hits against Knox last year and Sunday was his sixth career game with at least three hits … Ralston has struck out eight in three straight starts and gone at least six innings in all three starts … He has 26 strikeouts in 18 innings in conference play … He leads the Scots with 36 strikeouts on the season while ranking third on the team with 32 innings pitched … The seniors went 8-4 against Knox … Knox won the season series for the first time since 2017 with Monmouth going 18-5 against Knox the last seven seasons … Monmouth is 207-158-2 against Knox all-timeMonmouth plays at Cornell on Friday night with a home DH against the Rams at Noon on Saturday.
***Courtesy of Nathan Baliva, Monmouth College***
