MAUSTON, Wis. - Tie Game. Bottom of the Ninth. Two Out. Full Count. In a moment that every kid dreams about, Ripon catcher Michael Barnes made that dream a reality Friday night, delivering a walk-off two-run homer to give the Red Hawks a 6-4 win against Illinois College on the first day of the three-day Midwest Conference Crossover.

Prior to the last couple innings, it looked as if Ripon (6-19, 5-4 MWC) would coast to victory, as they took an early lead with two runs in the bottom of the second. Hector Aguinaga scored the first run on a wild pitch, which was followed by an RBI by Nick Taranto. Barnes added an RBI single in the third to push Ripon's lead to 3-0.

That's where the score would stay until the top of the seventh when Illinois College (8-19, 3-10 MWC) broke through with three runs on four hits to tie the game. The Blueboys took their first lead one inning later on a sac fly in foul territory off the bat of Brendan Stanfield. That lead didn't last long, as Ripon tied things up on an RBI double by David La Tour. Illinois College was then retired in order in the top of the ninth, setting the stage for Barnes' heroics.

Both teams finished the game with 10 hits, with Barnes recording game-highs of three hits and three RBI. Brice Swick and Josh Oswald added two hits apiece for the Red Hawks. Freshman Chris Huettner (1-2) earned his first career victory, retiring all four batters he faced.

Ripon will be in action again on Saturday in the second day of the MWC Crossover at Woodside Park in Mauston, Wis. They will play Grinnell and Cornell at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively, with LiveStats available for both games at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.