LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Monmouth College softball team rallied for a 7-6 disputed win over Lawrence University in an elimination game on Friday at the Midwest Conference Tournament.
Monmouth advances to play St. Norbert College in an elimination game on Saturday morning. Lawrence ends it season with an 18-13 record.
Lawrence led 6-1 heading to the sixth inning, but Charlotte Park hit a three-run homer to trim the margin to 6-4. The Scots had tied the game with a pair of runs in the seventh on four hits, a wild pitch and an error.
Emily Watkins was at the plate with one out and runners at the corners, and she hit a fly ball to center field. The ball was caught for the second out and the runner at third tagged to score the go-ahead run. Kirstyn Ozga, the runner at first, took off on the play and was past second base.
The Vikings tagged the bag for the final out, but the umpires ruled it was a “timing play,” and after an extensive discussion, counted the run to put Monmouth ahead 7-6.
Taylor Smith retired the Vikings in order in the bottom of the seventh to secure the win. Kara Vance took the loss for Lawrence.
The Vikings had built a five-run lead on Alex Chiodo’s two-run homer in the second and a four-run fourth that featured four Monmouth (21-17) errors.