Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

BELOIT, Wis. - Needing just one win to clinch hosting rights for the 2014 Midwest Conference Tournament, the Ripon College baseball team outdid themselves, winning both games of Saturday's doubleheader at Beloit College. The Red Hawks earned a thrilling 5-4 game one victory, which lasted 11 innings, before taking the nightcap 17-7 in seven innings.

The first game saw both teams put two runs on the board in the opening inning, followed by eight consecutive scoreless innings. Ripon (19-13, 12-2 MWC North) then broke the extra inning tie in the top of the 10th with back-to-back home runs by Tom Sawyer and Michael Polcyn, their first and 10th home runs of the season, respectively. Beloit (15-16, 6-8 MWC North) matched Ripon in the bottom of the 10th with two runs of their own, scoring on an error and an RBI single, but leaving the bases loaded. Sam Waters put the Red Hawks in front for good with an RBI single in the top of the 11th.

Polcyn and Waters finished with two hits apiece, while Jake Reinke and Nick Schmitt also recorded two base knocks. Both of Schmitt's hits were doubles, one of which scored the first runs of the game. Matt Hecht (5-2) earned the win, pitching 1.1 innings of hitless ball.

Ripon's bats came alive in the second game, as they pounded out twice as many hits (20) as they had in the first game. They didn't waste any time, scoring four runs in the top of the first. Polcyn got the Red Hawks on the board with an RBI double, while Schmitt, Waters and Robbie Schuettpelz also drove in a run in the inning. Mitchell Busch gave Ripon a five-run lead with a sac fly in the second before Beloit could even get on the board.

The Buccaneers would make a game of it with one run in both the third and fourth inning and a five-run fifth to take their first lead of the game. That lead didn't last long, as the biggest inning of the day came in the top of the sixth, which saw Ripon score 12 runs on nine hits, while being aided by two Beloit errors. The big blow in the inning came on a three-run home run by Schmitt, his fourth of the season.

The Red Hawks were led by Busch, who was 4-for-4 at the plate with three RBI and three runs scored. Schmitt added three hits, five RBI and three runs scored, while Schuettpelz was 3-for-4 with four RBI. Sawyer also recorded three hits, while Waters, Reinke and Nick Uhen each added two. Hecht (6-2) won his second game of the day, allowing just three hits in 2.2 scoreless innings.

Ripon will look to complete the four-game series sweep when they'll host Beloit for another doubleheader on Sunday. The first game of that double-dip will begin at 1 p.m. in Ripon.