RIPON, Wis. - Ripon's softball team ended both games of Saturday's doubleheader against Knox College by scoring runs in their final time at bat to win each game. The first game ended in a 5-4 victory as
Lexi Reetz supplied the game-winning single in the bottom of the seventh, while the second game ended in an 11-3 five inning victory thanks to a three-run double by freshman
Isabella Osborn in the bottom of the fifth. Osborn finished the second game with a school record six RBI, while tying a school record for hits in a single game, going 4-for-4 at the plate.
The day's first game began in Knox's favor as the Prairie Fire (1-13, 0-4 MWC) scored three times in the top of the second, with each run coming unearned. The first run scored on an error, which was followed by a two-run double to left field.
Knox added another run in the fifth on a double to left, but Ripon (6-12, 2-2 MWC) got that run back in the bottom of the inning on a sac fly off the bat of
Jessica Kobelt. The Red Hawks closed the gap again in the sixth when
Maddie Koster scored on a wild pitch. That set the stage for a dramatic comeback in the seventh, which saw Ripon score three runs on four hits and one Knox error.
Ashley Parkkonen drove in a run on a fielder's choice, which also saw
Stephanie Cartwright come around to score on a throwing error. Reetz then singled to left for the game-winner with no outs in the inning.
Ripon scored their five runs on six hits, with two coming from
Melanie Kobelt. Reetz (4-7) earned the win, allowing just one earned run and striking out six in seven innings of work.
The second game saw Ripon jump on the scoreboard early with a run in the bottom of the first, coming on an RBI single by Osborn. After Knox scored twice in the third, Ripon opened up the game with a seven-run fourth inning, which saw 10 batters come to the plate. Both Melanie and
Jessica Kobelt singled in a run, while
Tene Robinson drew a bases loaded walk, and Osborn singled down the left field line to drive in two more. The Red Hawks also scored on a wild pitch and a passed ball.
Knox would get another run in the fifth, but Ripon ended the game in the bottom of that frame with Osborn's three-run double, putting the mercy rule into effect with one out in the inning.
Ripon finished with nine hits, with Osborn collecting nearly half of those. Cartwright scored three times, while Parkkonen scored twice. J.Kobelt (2-4) earned the win, allowing two earned runs on four hits and striking out one without issuing a walk in the five-inning complete game.
The Red Hawks will now try to build on their momentum as they'll face Illinois College Sunday at 1 p.m. That doubleheader will take place at Tracy Field in Ripon, with LiveStats available at
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.