Monmouth, IL – The Prairie Fire completed the season sweep of Monmouth College with two road wins on Sunday.
One day after topping the Fighting Scots 5-4 and 4-3 at Blodgett Field, Knox posted 10-2 and 18-7 Midwest Conference South Division victories in Monmouth.
The Prairie Fire (16-8, 9-3 MWC South) scored five runs in the sixth inning of the first game to extend a three run lead to 8-0.
Senior Michael Schroeder (Glenview, IL, Glenbrook South) drove in the first run with a single. Senior Caleb Weaver (Galesburg, IL, Galesburg) came to the plate later in the inning with the bases loaded and delivered a grand slam, his third home run of the season, for an eight run advantage.
Monmouth (5-21, 1-7 MWC South) scored in the bottom of the seventh to make it an 8-1 game.
Knox responded with two runs in the top of the eighth inning to extend the advantage to 10-1. Junior Jackson White (Grayslake, IL, Grayslake Central) scored after Weaver reached base on an error and junior Erik Smoy (Hoffman Estates, IL, Hoffman Estates) doubled in Weaver.
The Fighting Scots plated the final run of the game in the bottom of the eighth.
Knox jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when junior Phil Tallman (Park Ridge, IL, Maine South) scored on a wild pitch in the top of the first inning. The game was scoreless from that point until the Prairie Fire tallied a pair of runs in the fifth following RBI singles by White and Smoy.
Junior Peter Marquardt (Clarendon Hills, lL, Hinsdale Central) gave Knox a quality start on the mound to earn the win. Marquardt (3-0) gave up just three hits and one run while walking four and striking out four. First-years Jeremy Gogoel (Hampshire, IL, Hampshire) and Mitch Weissenhofer (Homewood, IL, Marian Catholic) pitched the final 2 2/3 innings and combined to allow one run, four hits, one walk and strike out one.
Weaver was 2-for-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored for Knox. Smoy added three hits and two runs batted in and Tallman had three hits and scored three runs.
The Prairie Fire offense kicked into high gear in the second game after the Fighting Scots rallied from a four run deficit to take a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Knox plated 12 runs over the final three innings, including four in the top of the seventh to reclaim the lead for good at 10-7.
Weaver scored the tying run on an infield error and first-year Blake Newberg (Moline, IL, Rock Island Alleman) doubled in two runs to put the Prairie Fire on top 9-7. Schroeder drove in Newberg with a single for the third run of the inning.
Senior Gabe Ayers (Hanna City, IL, Farmington) came on to pitch the last three innings. He earned his first save of the season after blanking the Scots and recording one strikeout.
Knox extended the lead to 12-7 when Smoy's sacrifice scored White and Weaver crossed home plate on a wild pitch.
The Prairie Fire's biggest inning at the plate was the top of the ninth.
Weaver walked with the bases loaded for an RBI and first-year Geoff Hahn (Cameron, IL, United) scored the first of six runs in the frame. Smoy hit the second grand slam of the day for Knox, his second home run of the season that increased the lead to 17-7. Senior Kyle Walenga (San Francisco, CA, Waldorf) concluded the scoring with an RBI double.
The Prairie Fire touched up Monmouth starter Scott Kempel for four runs in the first inning. Weaver drove in a run with a single, Smoy had an RBI single, and junior Michael O'Connell (Park Ridge, IL, Maine South) doubled in two runs.
White smacked his second homer of the season in the top of the second inning for a 5-0 Knox lead. The Fighting Scots countered with four runs in the bottom of the second off of Prairie Fire starter, senior Ryan Stoens (Bartonville, IL, Limestone), to pull within 5-4.
Walenga singled to score O'Connell in the third inning for a 6-4 Knox lead before Monmouth tied the game with two runs in the home half of the third.
Stoens surrendered five runs, five hits, and walked three in two innings. Junior Bryan Leslie (Richmond, IL, Richmond-Burton) followed with three innings of relief, allowing two runs – one earned – and four hits and striking out four.
Senior Matt Lee (Fullerton, CA, Servite) tossed one inning out of the bullpen and earned his first win. Lee (1-1) gave up two hits before Ayers came on in the seventh inning.
Knox outhit Monmouth 18-11 in the second game and had a combined 32 hits and 28 runs in the doubleheader.
Smoy went 2-for-5 with a career-high six RBIs and two runs scored to lead Knox in the finale. Weaver was 3-for-5 with two runs batted in while White was 3-for-5 with one RBI and both scored four runs.
Smoy, Weaver, and White had nearly half of the Prairie Fire's hits in the twinbill. The three of them were 15-of-31 at the plate with three home runs, 16 RBIs, and 14 runs scored.
The sweep gives Knox 10 straight wins against Monmouth and the Prairie Fire's nine Midwest Conference victories are the most since the 1997 team won 10 league games.