Game 11 Final Score
Cleveland State (1-9) – 3
Monmouth (1-10) – 4

Game 12 Final Score
Monmouth (1-11) – 1
Valparaiso (3-2) – 5
 
CLINTON, S.C. – The Monmouth University Softball Team earned its first win of the season in thrilling fashion, rallying late to defeat Cleveland State 4-3 in the opening game of Friday's doubleheader at the Scotsman Invitational. The Hawks then battled against Valparaiso but fell 5-1 in the afternoon matchup.
 
The victory over the Vikings marks the first in the career of Monmouth head coach Morgan Royer.
 
Monmouth trailed 3-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth but ignited a comeback with a run-scoring sacrifice fly from freshman outfielder Kylee McLain. The momentum carried into the seventh when the Hawks strung together timely hits. Clare Picone led off the inning with a pinch-hit single, and Olivia Smith tripled to drive in the tying run. Mackenzie Bloss followed with a clutch two-run single to give Monmouth its first victory of the season. Jayla Cadena was stellar in relief, tossing three scoreless innings to secure the win.
 
In the second game, Lexi Castaneda continued her hot streak with a pair of hits and a stolen base, while Gianna Stern added a double for her first career extra-base hit. Monmouth struck first in the third inning when Izzy Bonacci brought home Castaneda with an RBI groundout. However, Valparaiso responded with a four-run bottom half and held off the Hawks the rest of the way. Olivia Lewis and Cadena combined for six innings in the circle, with Cadena keeping Monmouth within striking distance by allowing just two hits over the final two frames.

Doubleheader Notes
- Morgan Royer tallied her first career head coaching win.
- Bloss, Castaneda, and Gabby Gesualdo each recorded a multi-hit game.
- Cadena threw five total innings allowing no earned runs across two games.
- Stern made her collegiate debut and recorded two hits on the day.
- Castaneda went 1-for-2 on stolen base attempts on the day, as Monmouth sits at 80% (8-for-10) for the season.
- Hawks pitching struck out five total batter on the day, including four from Bonacci.
 
Quote
"Game one today was a total team win! I am so proud of the girls for fighting the whole way through. We always talk about controlling what you can control, and that game was the epitome of that. They believed in one another and themselves the entire time. So proud!" – Head Coach Morgan Royer
 
Up Next
The Hawks play host Presbyterian on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 2:30 p.m.