Pioneers Fall 10-8 and 6-4 in Final Home Contests of the Season

The Grinnell College softball team closed out its Midwest Conference schedule with a pair of home losses against Monmouth College on Sunday afternoon. The Fighting Scots (10-19, 5-8 MWC) scored four runs in the eighth inning to take the opener, 10-8 before holding on for a 6-4 win in game two.

Grinnell jumped out to what seemed to be a comfortable 5-0 lead after the first inning of game one. Sandra King '08 got the rally started with a one-out walk before later scoring on a throwing error. Emily Stewart '08 drove home Emily Kolbe '07 with a single to center for the second run before Darcy Ward '09 and Stewart extended the lead to 4-0 by scoring on wild pitches. Madison Salander '08 closed the book on the inning when she singled through the left side, scoring Maddy Raimando '07.

Monmouth plated one run in the third before erupting with four runs to tie the game in the fourth. The two teams then traded runs in the sixth, and each went scoreless in the seventh to send the game to extra frames.

The Fighting Scots took advantage of three Pioneer errors in the eighth, while scattering a pair of hits, en route to taking a 10-6 lead. Grinnell then added a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning on what looked to be the final out of the contest. Kolbe sent a line drive to left field that went off the glove of the left fielder as she went to make the catch, allowing King and Salander to score before Ward popped out to end the threat.

Stewart led Grinnell with the bat, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, while Salander, King, Ward, and Raimando chipped in with one hit apiece.

Tess Cohen '09 suffered the loss on the mound for Grinnell, allowing seven runs (six earned) on seven hits, in 4.1 innings of relief. Lee Anne Steinberg '07 got the start and went 3.2 innings, while giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits.

Grinnell got on the board first in game two as well when King singled home Ward, who earlier picked up a one-out double in the first inning. Monmouth responded yet again in the bottom of the inning, scoring three runs on four hits, to take a 3-1 lead.

The Pioneers added a run in the second and two more in the third to take a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the inning. Monmouth would then add the final three runs of the game in the bottom of the frame, before holding on in the late innings to pick up its 10th win of the season.

Grinnell scattered 13 hits in the contest, including 3-for-4 performances from Ward and Kolbe. King also chipped in with a pair of hits and an RBI, while Ward scored two runs.

Grinnell 7-15 overall (5-8 MWC) will close out its season on Monday afternoon with a trip to Mount Vernon, Iowa, for a 4:00 p.m. doubleheader versus Cornell College.