Sangamon Sun

The Illinois College baseball team faced Monmouth College in a double-header to open the Midwest Conference play. The Blueboys struggled against the Fighting Scots, losing both games with scores of 2-12 and 11-16.

In the first game, pitcher Branson Shaw started for Illinois College but quickly fell behind with a 0-5 deficit after two innings. Louie Bartletti hit a lead-off double in the fourth inning, which led to Jon Tate's RBI single that scored Bartletti, reducing the gap to 1-5. However, Monmouth extended their lead with a three-run fifth inning and continued to dominate, concluding the game at 2-12.

Illinois College had five players record hits in this game. Shaw pitched for 4.2 innings and struck out six batters on 110 pitches. Anthony Buonaura and Dylan Eaton also contributed from the bullpen.

In the second game, Illinois College initially took a lead when Nolan Decker's RBI single brought home Ryne Mapes. Despite an early advantage and multiple scoring opportunities, Monmouth responded with strong offensive plays, including a five-run fifth inning.

The Blueboys managed to regain momentum briefly with runs in the sixth and seventh innings, highlighted by Tyler Barker's bases-clearing double that temporarily gave them a 10-7 lead. Yet Monmouth retaliated strongly in their half of each inning to secure victory at 16-11.

Decker led Illinois College with three hits and shared top honors in RBIs alongside Barker. Jack McGuire pitched for over four innings while five other pitchers took turns on the mound throughout this high-scoring affair.

The series concludes on Sunday at Joe Brooks Field with one more match scheduled between these teams.