MONMOUTH, Illinois - The Prairie Fire baseball team fell to Monmouth twice in conference play on Thursday afternoon.

Knox plated a run in the top of the first inning in game one to take an early lead, but the Fighting Scots came right back with a run of their own in the bottom half. Monmouth scored three in each of the second and third innings to take a commanding 7-1 lead. The Prairie Fire scored a run in the fourth as Jack Maize doubled home Charlie Gibbons from first base, but the Scots scored five more runs in the game to win 12-2 in eight innings.

Monmouth scored twice in the first inning of game two to jump out to an early lead. Knox plated a run in the third to cut the deficit to one run, but the Scots came right back with a run of their own in the bottom half. Monmouth scored four in the fourth and two in each of the sixth and seventh innings to earn an 11-1 victory in seven innings.

Matt Shover led the Prairie Fire with two hits in the doubleheader. Evan Laws and Noah Sainato each stole a base.

"We didn't execute very well today in any facet of the game," said associate head coach James Clark. "We see flashes of how good we can be, but still can't get out of our own way."

Knox returns to action as they host Monmouth on May 15.