AUBURNDALE, Fla. - After losing their first four games of the season, Ripon's baseball team has now won three of their last four contests. They won both of their games on Thursday, topping Ramapo 6-4, before defeating Clarkson by a score of 8-1.
In their first game of the day, Ripon (3-5) jumped on the board early with three runs on five hits in the top of the first.
Joey Garza drove in two runs with a single, while
Riley Erickson also recorded an RBI in that frame. Ramapo (4-4) scored their first run of the game in the fourth, but Ripon got that run back in the fifth on an RBI single off the bat of
Tyler Nelson. Ramapo cut Ripon's lead to one run with two runs in the fifth, but
Michael Barnes extended the Red Hawks lead to three with a two-run triple in the bottom half of that inning to cap the scoring.
Brice Swick (1-1) pitched a gem of a game, allowing just two earned runs on eight hits, while striking out nine batters in his 8.2 innings of work.
Brody Marks picked up his first save of the season, coming on to record the game's final out. Barnes led Ripon's offensive attack, going 3-for-4 at the dish, while Nelson and
Jacob Pankratz finished with two hits apiece.
In their second game of the day, Ripon fell behind in the top of the third when Clarkson (4-5) pushed a run across the plate, but that would be their only run of the day. Ripon tied the score in the bottom of that inning on an RBI by Pankratz, and would take the lead with a two-run fifth, highlighted by a sac fly by
Nick Taranto and an RBI double off the bat of Erickson. The Red Hawks added two more runs in the sixth on RBI singles by Pankratz and Barnes, while adding three more in the seventh on a pinch hit two-run double by
Keegan Johnston and an RBI triple from
Nick Terrell.
Brian Brown (1-1) earned the win, allowing one run on eight hits, while striking out eight in seven innings of work. Ripon finished the game with 12 hits, with two apiece coming from Pankratz, Barnes, Erickson, and Terrell.
Ripon will conclude their 2019 Spring Trip on Friday when they'll battle Benedictine (Ill.). Taht game will be played at Lake Myrtle Park in Auburndale, Fla.