RIPON, Wis. - Ripon's baseball team led from start to finish Tuesday afternoon to defeat St. Norbert 11-4 in what was the second half of last week's doubleheader, which was postponed due to darkness. That win splits the season series with the Green Knights with each team winning both games on their home turf.
Ripon (9-10, 5-3 MWC North) wasted no time getting on the board, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first to take a lead that they would never relinquish.
Joey Garza broke the scoreless tie with a double to left center, scoring
Michael Barnes and
Nick Taranto. Garza would later score in the inning on a sac fly off the bat of
Keegan Johnston. After St. Norbert pushed one run across the plate in the top of the second, Ripon answered with two of their own, both coming on a Barnes double to right center.
St. Norbert (11-10, 6-2 MWC North) added a run in the top of the fourth, but Ripon again answered in the bottom of that frame, this time with three runs, two of which scored on a single by Johnston down the right field line, with the other coming on a
Noah Herried single through the left side of the infield. After another run by SNC in the seventh, Ripon scored three runs on one hit and two errors in the bottom of that inning, two of which came on a Barnes single to left center.
Barnes finished the game a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with four RBI and two runs scored. He is now 9-for-10 in his last two games (.900) to raise his season batting average to a team-best .439.
Nick Terrell added three hits, while scoring two runs, and Johnston was 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Jack Nelson (1-0) earned the victory, allowing just one earned run on six hits in his six innings of work.
Chris Huettner picked up his first save of the season, allowing one earned run on three hits in three innings of relief.
Ripon is scheduled to be in action again on Saturday when they'll host Knox College. That doubleheader will begin at Noon at Francis Field in Ripon, and can be seen live with LiveStats atÂ
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.
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