Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Galesburg, Ill. – The Prairie Fire came up short in a pair of slugfests against Midwest Conference South foe Monmouth College on Wednesday.

Knox came back from a nine run deficit before falling 12-9 in 10 innings in the opening game.  The Prairie Fire and the Fighting Scots then combined for 11 home runs in a 13-7 Monmouth win in the doubleheader finale.

The Fighting Scots (16-12, 8-3 MWC) raced out to a 9-0 lead in game one, but Knox responded in a big way.

Junior Kayla Behrens (Moline, IL, Moline) hit a grand slam, her fourth home run of the season, in the bottom of the fourth inning to cut the deficit to 9-4.

Sophomore Karli Shields (Naperville, IL, Neuqua Valley) came on in relief of starting pitcher, senior Amber Eisha (South Wilmington, IL, Gardner-South Wilmington), and worked six scoreless innings while the Knox bats came alive and tied the game.

The Prairie Fire (2-25, 0-9 MWC) plated five runs in the bottom of the sixth to pull even with Monmouth, 9-9.

The first run scored on a ball hit by junior Rhiannon Neuville (Eugene, OR, South Eugene) for a fielder's choice that scored first-year Chelsey Howard (Galesburg, IL, Galesburg).  An error brought in first-year Kaly Davidson (Needham, MA, Needham) with the second run of the inning, followed by an RBI single off the bat of senior Alyssa Bleidorn (Batavia, IL, Batavia).  Eisha drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to left field, and Behrens singled in the tying run when Bleidorn crossed the plate.

Neither team could bring a run across until the top of the 10th, when Monmouth broke through with a three-run homer that turned out to be the difference in the game, which took nearly 2 1/2 hours to settle.

Shields (1-14) took the hard-luck loss despite pitching well.  She allowed three runs, all in the top of the 10th, and 10 hits with one walk and one strikeout over seven innings.

The Fighting Scots held a 19-12 advantage in hits.

Behrens had her biggest game for the Prairie Fire, going 2-for-5 at the plate with five RBIs.  Davidson had three hits while Howard and Eisha added two apiece.

The second game was a back-and-forth affair that was decided by the long ball.

Monmouth led off the game with a home run for the early lead, and then hit another solo shot in the top of the second for a 2-0 advantage.

Eisha belted a two-run homer in the third inning that forced a 2-2 tie.  Howard followed with a solo bomb that gave the hosts a 3-2 lead.

The Scots grabbed a 5-3 lead on two home runs in the fourth that brought in three runs.

The Prairie Fire responded with three-runs in the bottom of the fourth and led 6-5.  Behrens walked with the bases loaded, scoring Neuville, and Howard lined a two-run single with the sacks packed to bring in Eisha and Bleidorn.

After a scoreless fifth, Monmouth took the lead for good at 9-6 with four runs in the sixth on a solo homer, a two-run single, and a wild pitch.

Eisha hit her second homer of the game with the bases empty – her fourth of the season – to pull Knox closer, 9-7.

The home run count continued when the Fighting Scots came to bat in the seventh.  Monmouth's Charlotte Park hit her fourth round-tripper in as many at-bats to lead off the inning.  That was followed by a two-run blast with one out, and then a two-out solo homer – the 11th long ball of the game and eighth by the Scots, that gave Monmouth a six run cushion.

The Prairie Fire were unable to rally in their last chance at the plate as the Fighting Scots came away with their seventh consecutive victory after winning all five of their games against MWC North Division teams at the Midwest Conference Classic last weekend in East Peoria.

Eisha (1-11) pitched her 10th complete game of the season but was saddled with the loss.  She helped herself at the plate by going 2-for-3 with two homers, three RBIs, and three runs scored.

Howard continued to swing a hot bat for Knox with two hits and three runs batted in.  Bleidorn contributed two hits, both doubles, a walk, and two runs scored.  Neuville reached base three times with two hits and a walk while scoring a run, and first-year Holly Bieber chipped in with two hits.

The Prairie Fire travel to Grinnell College for a Midwest Conference South Division doubleheader on Saturday.  The first game against the Pioneers (0-14, 0-8 MWC) begins at 1:00 p.m.