1998 Women's Softball -- Results and Game Summaries

3/19-20/98 at Univ. of West Florida (Pensacola,FL)
3/19 - Shawnee JC 2-5 (0-1)
Monmouth dropped its season opener in Florida as the Scots could only manage two runs on two singles. Two Shawnee errors helped the Monmouth scoring effort in the third inning but two late runs by Shawnee sealed the victory. Laura Wagner had both Monmouth RBI but also took the loss on the mound.

3/19 - Olivet Nazarene 1-9 (0-2)
Two costly errors led to three unearned runs in the third inning and Olivet tacked on another five runs in the fifth to coast to an easy victory. Sherilyn Daniels was the victim of sloppy fielding and suffered the loss in her first start of the season. Natalie Hacker's sacrifice fly chased home Monmouth's lone run in the top of the fifth inning as the Scots collected only two hits for the second straight game.

3/19 - Fritsburg 3-5 (0-3)
The Fighting Scots' bats finally came to life in Florida but it was too late to avoid a third straight defeat. Fritsburg jumped out to an early 4-0 advantage on three hits and two MC errors in the first two frames. After allowing another run in the sixth, Monmouth got on the board with three runs in the top of the seventh. Krista Gavlinski rapped a two-run single to left with one out but the Scot rally fell short on two groundouts.

3/20 - North Dakota State 1-7 (0-4)
Division II North Dakota State kept the Scots winless, holding Monmouth to just three hits. The Scots continued to struggle at the plate and struck out eight times against the Bison. NDSU struck early with a three-run homer in the first inning and added four more runs after the fourth to secure the win. Amy Gavlinski drove in the Monmouth run in the sixth inning but Sandy Ryner was thrown out at the plate trying to score from second and Gavlinski was gunned down attempting to steal second to kill the brief rally.

3/25/98 vs. Augustana 4-2, 3-5 (1-5)
Monmouth picked up its first win of the season with a non-conference victory over Augustana but dropped the nightcap to post a split decision in its first home action. Sherilyn Daniels limited Augie to two unearned runs on seven hits for the victory. Michelle Pasley walked, stole second, went to third on an error and scored on a passed ball to break a scoreless tie in the Scots' half of the fourth but the Vikings responded with the tie an inning later. Monmouth put three runs on the board in the top of the sixth, sparked by a one-out triple by Heather Downing and a two-run homer by Pasley. Augustana jumped to a 2-0 lead on two early MC errors in the second game but a series of Viking errors put the Scots ahead 3-2 in the seventh. However, Augustana responded with three runs in their half of the seventh, reaching losing pitcher Laura Wagner for five consecutive hits.

3/28-29/98 at Univ. of Dubuque Tournament
3/28 - UW-Platteville 2-0 (2-5)
Sherilyn Daniels tossed a one-hitter to lead Monmouth to its second win and first shutout of the season. Daniels surrendered only a harmless leadoff single in the fifth inning and faced one batter more than the minimum while striking out three Pioneers. Freshman Erin Fink drove in the Scots' first run in the second and scored the insurance run on Della Smith's RBI single in the seventh after a leadoff double.

3/28 - UW-River Falls 1-2 (2-6)
Daniels was tough again on the mound but the Scots could not muster any offense against River Falls. Della Smith drove in Amy Gavlinski in the Monmouth fifth to pull the Scots to within 2-1 but the offense sputtered, leaving five runners on base in the final three innings. Daniels suffered the loss despite giving up only five hits and striking out three.

3/29 - Dubuque 6-5 (3-6)
Monmouth had to go one extra inning to defeat the host Spartans after playing to a 5-5 tie in regulation. Amy Gavlinski singled home Erin Fink from third base with two outs in the eighth and Laura Wagner kept Dubuque in check in their half of the inning for the win. The Spartans had struck for four runs in the second inning but the Scots rallied to tie in the fifth, highlighted by five singles. Della Smith had two RBI, including the game-tying run on a clutch, two-out single.

3/29 - Wartburg 0-4 (3-7)
Jamie Bechne threw a no-hitter to defeat Monmouth in the Scots' final game of the Dubuque Tournament. A fifth-inning fielding error and a sixth-inning walk were the only baserunning opportunities for Monmouth while Wartburg took advantage of two Fighting Scot errors and five passed balls to score three times in the second inning. An RBI triple in the fourth drove in the final run for the Knights. Sherilyn Daniels took the pitching loss for the Scots.

4/1/98 at Illinois Wesleyan 6-3, 1-5 (4-8)
The Fighting Scots traveled to Bloomington for a non-conference doubleheader and came home with a well-earned split. Sherilyn Daniels scattered eight hits for the victory in the opener as Monmouth tallied two runs in the first, third and seventh innings. Amy Gavlinski connected for two triples, drove in one run and scored twice to pace the offense, which also posted five stolen bases. The Scots' bats fell silent in the nightcap, producing only four hits and one run. IWU touched losing pitcher Laura Wagner for five hits and five runs in the fourth inning to put the game out of reach.

4/2/98 at MacMurray 1-3, 3-6 (4-10)
A tired and unfocused Monmouth team showed the effects of four games in two days, dropping a pair of non-conference games to MacMurray on the road. The Scots' defense was partly to blame, committing five errors and two passed balls in the twinbill. Two singles and an error produced two runs in the MacMurray first and the Highlanders pushed another across in the sixth before Erin Fink drove home Monmouth's lone run in the seventh. A pair of three-run innings doomed the Scots in the second game as Laura Wagner was touched for nine hits in the first three frames. Amy Gavlinski, Della Smith and Caitlin Weinstein each knocked in a run for the Scots.

4/8/98 at Illinois College 2-4, 5-4 (5-11, 1-1)
Monmouth split its Midwest Conference opener on the road at Jacksonville with an eight-inning comeback victory. After two of their first three batters reached base and scored to grab a 2-0 lead in the first inning of the first game, the Fighting Scots could only manage four baserunners the rest of the game. IC rebounded to take a 3-2 lead with three runs in the bottom of the first and scored an insurance run in the fifth. Sherilyn Daniels pitched another solid game but again suffered from lack of run support to take the loss. Natalie Hacker's RBI triple gave Monmouth a 2-0 lead in the second game but the Lady Blues rallied to regain the lead with three in the third. The Scots pushed across two runs to tie in the top of the seventh, Della Smith driving home the tying run on an RBI single. Monmouth won its second extra-inning game of the season when Krista Gavlinski drove home Tonya Martin with a two-out single to center. Laura Wagner threw a three-hitter and pitched all eight innings for her second win of the season.

4/17/98 Lake Forest 4-3, 5-1 (7-11, 3-1)
Monmouth improved its South Division standing with a sweep of Lake Forest at home. Sherilyn Daniels pitched the team to victory in the first game and the Scots used single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to get the win. Freshman Erin Fink drove in three runs with a double and sacrifice fly to spark the offense. Laura Wagner threw a three-hitter to complete the sweep as Jessica Puntoni's two-run double in the sixth inning of the nightcap nd two more insurance runs in the seventh sealed the Monmouth win.

4/18-19/98 at Illinois Wesleyan Tournament 2-3 (9-14)
Monmouth went 2-3 at the IWU Tournament, losing to Illinois Wesleyan 5-3 and Aurora 3-1 before earning a 4-1 victory over Eureka in action on Saturday. Sunday saw a split for the Scots as the women were shut out 2-0 by the University of Chicago and then claimed a 6-3 victory over MWC league school Ripon.

4/22/98 at Knox 0-1, 2-3 [9 inn] (9-16, 3-3)
Rain and soggy field conditions forced the softball team to take its games to Galesburg and the Scots fell victim to the Prairie Fire, losing two crucial MWC games by one run each. Sherilyn Daniels threw a three-hitter but was credited with the loss in the first game as the Monmouth offense could produce only one hit. A 4th-inning single by Della Smith and a seventh-inning walk was all the Scots could get on the bases. The two teams needed extra innings to decide the second game, which was tied 1-1 after seven innings. Both sides scored a run in the eighth but Knox prevailed with another run in the ninth.

4/24/98 Grinnell 3-5 [10 inn], 6-1 (10-17, 4-4)
With a postseason tournament berth on the line Monmouth needed to win both games to secure a playoff spot but split their final doubleheader with Grinnell. A ten-inning loss to the Pioneers gave Grinnell the divisional title and knocked Monmouth out of the tournament for the first time in four years. Single runs in the fifth and sixth innings brought the Scots back from a 2-0 deficit but MC could not score in the extra frames. Three singles and an infield error gave Grinnell three runs in the top of the 10th. Monmouth showed its determination by rebounding with a 6-1 win in the nightcap as Laura Wagner scattered seven hits for her fifth win of the season. Senior Amy Gavlinski scored three runs in her final game and Heather Downing knocked in four runs with a triple and single.

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