The Monmouth College baseball team swept a home DH from Cornell on Saturday with 5-2 and 7-6 wins. The Fighting Scots (13-17, 8-6) moved into the top four of the Midwest Conference standings as they swept the series from the Rams.
Raul Guillermo (Miami, Florida) led off the second with a single and he moved to second on a wild pitch. Clayton Matkovic gave the Scots a 1-0 lead with a single to right and he moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Aidan Parkins (Monmouth, Illinois). Eric Campen (Washington, Illinois) drove home Matkovic for a 2-0 Monmouth lead.
Nate Reed (Chenoa, Illinois) launched his second home run of the season, both at home, down the right-field line in the third inning for a 3-0 lead.
Monmouth starter Toby Turnquist (Monmouth, Illinois) kept Cornell off the board for four innings before a walk and two doubles plated two runs in the fifth. Turnquist stranded a lead off walk in the sixth as he got a strikeout looking to end the frame.
Parkins led off the sixth for Monmouth with a single and Campen was hit by a pitch. After a sac bunt, Gabe Zeigler-Harris (East Peoria, Illinois) gave the Scots a 4-2 lead with a sacrifice fly. Lummus singled and Reed walked but Cornell went to the bullpen and escaped the inning with the bases loaded.
The Scots added an insurance run in the eighth. Guillermo led off with a double and was safe at third on a fielders’ choice sac bunt. Parkins gave the Scots a 5-2 lead with a single to left before the Rams got out of the inning.
Brandon Coats (Mapleton, Illinois) closed out the Rams for his first save of the season. The sophomore threw three hitless innings and walked one while striking out two.
Turnquist (3-5) picked up the win as he allowed two runs over six innings in a quality start. The lefty struck out four, walked two and gave up just three hits.
GAME TWO
With the Scots going for the series sweep, Cornell took an early lead in the top of the first innings of game two. Roy Ralston (Macon, Illinois) got two quick outs before a single and a home run gave the Rams a 2-0 lead.
The Scots took the lead as Cornell starter Cam Anderson hit Lummus and walked three of the next five batters to force home a run. He walked a fourth batter as Dye scored to tye the game. After a pitching change, Scott singled home two, giving Monmouth a 4-2 lead.
Cornell tied the game with another 2-run homer in the second. In the third, Campen walked with one out and he moved to third as Zeigler-Harris reached on an error. Lummus doubled home both runners for a 5-4 lead and Reed reached on an error as Lummus scored to put the Scots up by three.
The Rams scored a run off Caleb Ochs (Royal, Illinois) in the sixth and put two on with two out in the seventh. Owen Wolfe (Galesburg Illinois) got out of the jam with a flyout and turned in a scoreless eighth as well. Nick Villa (El Segundo, California) got the first out in the ninth before a single and walk put two on. A single pulled the Rams within one but a grounder to third ended the game.
Ralston (2-3) picked up the win with four runs allowed over five innings as he struck out four. Villa earned his third save of the season.
MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Guillermo moved into fourth on the career games played list with 138 and also moved into a tie for second ,, with Casey Boydstun and Grant Myers with 261 total bases ,,, He is 17 behind the record held by Ryan Sparks … Lummus moved into 10th on the career hits list … Reed jumped into fifth on the career walks list with 73 … Dye’s 10-game hit streak was snapped in game two … Guillermo has an 8-game hit streak … Reed was 7-for-12 in the series with a home run, three doubles, four walks, five runs scored and three RBI … Lummus, Reed, Guillermo, Matkovic and Scott had hits in both games … Parkins and Campen had RBI in both gamesTurnquist is tied with Harold Fay (’86) for 18th on the career appearances list with 32 … Villa is tied with Alex Sheetz (’19) on the career saves list with six … With a team-leading 14 appearances, Wolfe is tied for 11th on Monmouth’s single-season appearances list … The Scots earned their first season sweep of Cornell since 1996 … All-time, Monmouth leads 106-43-2 … The Scots host Illinois College at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
***Courtesy of Nathan Baliva, Monmouth College***
