MONMOUTH, Ill. - Ripon's softball team entered Saturday's doubleheader with very little room for error, needing to win both games at Monmouth to remain a legitimate threat for a Midwest Conference Tournament spot at the end of the season, which is given to the top four teams in the MWC. The Red Hawks managed to stay in the thick of things, winning Saturday's first game 2-1 in 10 innings and completing the sweep with a 5-3 win to move within one game of fourth place in the MWC standings.

The first game proved to be a pitcher's duel with neither team scoring until the top of the fifth when Ripon broke a scoreless tie on an RBI single off the bat of Stephanie Cartwright. That lead lasted until the bottom of the seventh, when Rebecca Gallis led off the inning with a game-tying home run to send the game to extra innings.

It took three extra frames for a team to score, with Ripon doing the honors in the top of the 10th when Tene Robinson singled home Ashley Parkkonen with two outs for the go-ahead run.

Ripon finished with seven hits, with three of them coming from Robinson, and Cartwright adding two more. Lexi Reetz (8-9) was her usual dominant self in the circle, allowing one run on five hits and striking out eight in a 10-inning complete game. That moves the sophomore into a tie for fifth in school history for career strikeouts, with 220.

The second game of the day wasn't nearly as nerve-wracking for the Red Hawks, as they never trailed in the 5-3 victory. Ripon got on the board in the top of the second with a pair of runs scoring on a double from Maddie Koster.

After Monmouth cut that lead in half with a run in the bottom of the second, Ripon got that run back in the fourth when Robinson drew a bases loaded walk. The Red Hawks got even more breathing room in the fifth when Teara Morgenroth recorded an RBI double of her own, which was followed by a run-scoring single by Koster.

Monmouth made things interesting with a run in both the fifth and seventh innings, including another home run by Gallis, but the game would end with the tying run at the plate.

Ripon finished with 13 hits, led by Koster's 3-for-4 performance at the plate, which included a career-high three RBI. Robinson, Parkkonen, Morgenroth, and Julia Sanchez each added two hits apiece, while Morgenroth scored three runs. Jessica Kobelt (3-7) earned the victory, allowing three runs on 10 hits and striking out two in her seven innings.

Ripon will be in action again on Sunday when they'll face Grinnell College, which is currently tied with the Red Hawks for sixth place in the MWC standings. All six of Ripon's remaining regular season games will be against teams they are currently tied with or trailing in the MWC standings. Sunday's doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m. in Grinnell, Iowa and can be seen live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/grinnell/, with LiveStats also available.