APPLETON, Wis. - Ripon's baseball team salvaged a split Thursday afternoon at Lawrence University, as both games ended in extra innings. The Red Hawks lost game one 7-6 in 11 innings, but won the nightcap by a 4-3 score in 10 innings.
Lawrence (8-11, 1-1 MWC) scored the day's first run in the bottom of the first inning of game one, before Ripon (4-12, 1-1 MWC) grabbed the lead with two runs in the third, scoring twice on a single to left by
Josh Oswald. Lawrence answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of that inning and scored two more in the sixth to take a 5-2 lead.
Ripon climbed back into the game with two runs in the seventh, scoring on a wild pitch and an RBI single by
Riley Erickson. The Red Hawks tied the score in the eighth when
Tyler Nelson scored on a Lawrence error to force extra innings. Ripon took the lead in the top of the 11th, scoring on another fielding error, but Lawrence tied the score in the bottom of that inning with an RBI single to left. Three batters later, the Vikings walked off the field victorious after a two-out single by Matt Holliday scored the game-winning run.
Drew Slade started for the Red Hawks and struck out eight batters in six innings of work, allowing four hits, without giving up an earned run. Ripon's six hits came from six different players.
The day's second game saw Ripon strike first with a pair of runs in the top of the third thanks to an RBI single from
Michael Barnes and a sac fly by
David Knapp. Lawrence tied things up with a run in the fifth, and another in the sixth, which caused the game to go into extra innings, where Ripon's two runs in the top of the 10th would prove to be enough. Both runs scored on a double to right center off the bat of Barnes. Lawrence scored once in the bottom of the 10th, but left a runner stranded on second base as the final out was recorded.
The Red Hawks finished with nine hits in the game, with Barnes' 4-for-5 performance leading the way. Nelson added two hits in four at-bats.
Brian Brown (1-3) earned the win, allowing one run on three hits in three innings of relief.
Ripon is scheduled to be in action again on Tuesday when they'll host Lawrence for a doubleheader at Francis Field. That game will begin at 1 p.m., with LiveStats and Video available at
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.