AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Ripon softball team continued the Spring Games on Monday, falling 8-0 at the hands of St. Scholastica in the opener before bouncing back with an extra inning win over Franklin and Marshall to close out the day.
Monday's first game saw the Ripon offense go silent, as
Brennah Bronk and
Hadley Berendsen collected the only Red Hawk hits in the shortened game. St. Scholastica senior Haley Rosenthal went the distance in the circle, tossing just 73 pitches to remain unbeaten this spring.
The nightcap proved to be a much different game for Ripon, who took the field as the home team against the Diplomats. The Red Hawks plated a trio of runs for an early lead behind four first inning hits, a bases-loaded walk and hit batter.
Anna Bauer doubled home a run in the bottom of the second to give Ripon a 4-0 lead, but Franklin and Marshall got on the board with two runs in the following frame. The Diplomats exploded for three runs of their own in the fourth to take their first lead of the day, but a
Mikaela Lawrence home run in the home half pulled the Red Hawks even.
The Diplomats went back in front with a run in the fifth before adding two more in the top of the sixth, but Ripon refused to go quietly, getting two back on a Bronk long ball to cut the deficit to one. After a scoreless top of the seventh, Lawrence singled in a run to tie the game at 7-7 and eventually send it to extras.
The top of the eighth saw the Diplomats make some noise but come up empty, setting the stage for Ripon's first walk-off hit of the season. Berendsen was placed on second to start the home half, and Bauer singled to right field to plate the winning run.
Ripon improves to 6-4 with the win, with
Kalen Berger picking up her third win of the season after recording two scoreless innings in the circle. Offensively, Lawrence turned in a 5-for-5 performance at the top of the order, while Bronk and Bauer recorded three hits apiece.
The Red Hawks are back in action on Tuesday, when they take on Nicholls College at 11:30 a.m. EST before battling Oswego State at 4:30 p.m.