RIPON, Wis. - Ripon recorded a season-high 20 hits Thursday against Wisconsin Lutheran, en route to a 13-7 victory. The Red Hawks used a five-run fourth inning to take a lead that they would never relinquish.

Ripon (8-15) scored the game's first run in the bottom of the first when Hector Aguinaga singled to center field, allowing Nick Taranto to score from second base. Wisconsin Lutheran (9-20) would tie things up in the following inning on a one-out solo home run. The Red Hawks then broke that tie in the bottom of the second on an RBI single by Michael Barnes, which was followed by another run-scoring single off the bat of Taranto.

This see-saw battle saw Wisconsin Lutheran grab another lead with a three-run third, scoring on a sac fly, before a two-run double gave them a 4-3 advantage. Ripon would tie things up in the bottom of the inning on an RBI triple by Riley Erickson, who would score one batter later on a sac fly by Ben Folger.

WLC tied the game again on a sac fly in the top of the fourth, before Ripon took command of the contest by scoring five runs on five hits in the bottom of the fourth. The go-ahead runs scored on a two-run homer by Michael Barnes to straightaway centerfield. The Red Hawks scored twice more on an Erickson double, while also scoring on run on a groundout to take a 10-5 lead.

Keegan Johnston added another run for the Red Hawks when he drove in a run on a double down the left field line in the fifth. Wisconsin Lutheran tried to mount a comeback with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, but Ripon got those runs back in the bottom of that frame an Barnes' second two-run homer of the game, this time to left center.

Taranto led Ripon's offensive attack with a 4-for-5 performance, improving his season batting average to a conference-best .452, which ranks in the top 20 in all of Division-III, and would rank ninth in program history. Barnes added three hits and a team-high five RBI, while Johnston and Erickson also recorded three hits apiece. Aguinaga, Tyler Nelson, and Kyle Peterson each finished with two base knocks. Chris Huettner (1-0) earned the win, allowing five earned runs in seven innings of work, striking out one batter without issuing a walk. Kenny George and Kade Lancour each pitched a scoreless inning of relief.

Ripon will jump back into conference play on Saturday when they'll begin their weekend series against Beloit with a home doubleheader. That twinbill will begin at 1 p.m. at Francis Field in Ripon and will have LiveStats and Video available at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.