GRINNELL, Iowa - Ripon's baseball team played two completely different games Friday during the first day of the 2015 Midwest Conference Tournament, but each contest ended with the same result - a Ripon victory. They began the day with a 2-1 victory over Cornell that saw the Red Hawks register just four hits, before dismantling St. Norbert 13-1 in seven innings in a game that saw Ripon hit five home runs. That advances Ripon to the MWC Championship game for the second time in three years.

In the day's first game, Ripon (22-13) never trailed. They scored the first run of the contest in the third inning when Dakotah Kirchenwitz scored on a fielder's choice. Two innings later, Kirchenwitz doubled that lead as he led off the fifth with a home run to left field.

Cornell (16-21) would score their only run in the sixth on an RBI single, but the Rams would leave two runners on base that inning and would only get two men on base the rest of the game.That was due in large part to Patrick Van Daalwyk (3-1), who pitched a complete game for the victory. He allowed just one run on seven hits in his nine innings, while striking out five without issuing a walk.

That win advanced Ripon to the winner's bracket where they squared off against St. Norbert. The Green Knights (20-17) started the game on the right foot, scoring the game's first run in the bottom of the first on an RBI single.

After that, Ripon's bats came alive. Nick Schmitt gave the Red Hawks their first and only lead of the game in the third inning, crushing a three-run homer over the left center field fence. The Red Hawks then blew the game wide open with a six-run fourth, keyed by a three-run home run by Michael Polcyn, which was immediately followed by a solo homer from Schmitt. In the sixth inning, it was Nick Kita's turn to get into the action, as he belted his first career home run for the Red Hawks, scoring two of the team's four runs in that frame. One batter later, Polcyn left the yard again for his eighth homer of the season and 20th as a Red Hawk, which moves him into sixth-place in school history.

The top four batters in Ripon's order (Kirchenwitz, Kita, Polcyn, and Schmitt) combined to go 10-for-16 with 12 RBI and 10 runs scored. MWC North Pitcher of the Year Marshall Zahn (5-2) earned the victory, allowing one run on four hits and striking out five in six innings of work.

Saturday's MWC Championship game will begin at 1 p.m. in Grinnell, Iowa and can be seen live, with LiveStats at,http://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.They will face the winner of the Cornell/St. Norbert game, which will be played at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
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