AUBURNDALE, Fla. - Ripon led Bard College entering the seventh inning on Wednesday, but a three-run seventh doomed the Red Hawks in the 9-8 loss.
Ripon (1-5) struck first with a run in the top of the second when
Jacob Pankratz drove in
Nick Terrell with a sacrifice fly. That lead didn't last long, as Bard scored four times in the bottom of that inning. Both teams added another run in the third, with Ripon's coming on an RBI single down the right field line off the bat of Noah Herreid.
Bard (6-4) added another run in the fourth to take a 6-2 lead, before Ripon mounted a comeback. The Red Hawks cut into the lead with two runs in the fifth, scoring on a sac fly and a balk. They added four more runs the following inning to take an 8-6 lead, which lasted until the seventh when Bard recorded a three-run double to go ahead for good.
Both teams registered 11 hits in the game, with Erickson, Nelson, and
Michael Barnes leading the Red Hawks with two apiece.
Andrew Kurcz pitched effectively in relief, allowing just one earned run on two hits and striking out three in three innings of work.
Ripon will be in action again on Thursday when they'll play Ramapo and Clarkson at 10 a.m. ET and 1:30 p.m. ET, respectively. Both games will be played at Lake Myrtle Park in Auburndale, Fla.
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