CLERMONT, Fla. - The Ripon softball team opened their 2017 campaign Sunday morning, losing to Millsaps College, 6-0, before also falling to Roger Williams University by a score of 9-4.
The day's first game remained scoreless until the fourth inning when Millsaps (13-5) saw four runs cross the plate. The first run of the game came on an RBI single by Hannah Dogge. Later that inning, Kat Romero cranked a three-run homer for Millsaps, with all three runs unearned. Millsaps added two more runs in the sixth to cap the scoring on a two-run double by Megan Murray.
Ripon finished the game with two hits, coming from
Tene Robinson and
Julia Sanchez.
Lexi Reetz (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing three earned runs on nine hits and striking out two batters.
Three of Millsaps nine hits came from Romero, while Doggett added two base knocks. Cassidy DeNoon (5-3) earned the complete game shutout victory, striking out five without issuing a walk.
In the second game of the day, Ripon's bats came alive, scoring four runs on four hits, but Roger Williams finished with 16 hits as they defeated the Red Hawks 9-4.
Roger Williams opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI single, before scoring six runs on seven hits in the third, with the biggest blow coming on a bases-loaded triple that drove in all three runners.
The score was 8-0 before Ripon got on the board with a four-spot in the top fo the fifth. Three of those runs came home on a three-run double off the bat of Robinson, who would later score on a Roger Williams error. That would be all the offense Ripon could muster however, as Roger Williams tacked on another run in the sixth to secure the victory.
Stephanie Cartwright led the Red Hawks with two hits in the game. Roger Williams was led by three hits from Julianne Vesce, while four other players recorded two hits apiece for RWU.
Ripon will be in action again on Monday when they'll play Bethel (Minn.) and Macalester at 8 a.m. ET and 10:30 p.m. ET, respectively, in Clermont, Fla.
