AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Ripon softball team continued the Spring Games on Thursday, falling in both ends of a doubleheader. The Red Hawks dropped the opener to Benedictine before coming up short against Lasell in the nightcap, handing Ripon back-to-back losses for the first time this season.
Benedictine's offense got in a rhythm early and never looked back in the opener, with Ripon ending up on the wrong side of an 8-0 final.
Mikaela Lawrence and
Brennah Bronk were credited with a hit apiece for the Red Hawks, with the latter extending her hitting streak to a team-best six games.
Ripon got on the board first in the back half of Thursday's action, scoring a run on a
Lexzie Hassemer single in the second before a red-hot Mikela Lawrence plated another two batters later. An RBI groundout the following frame made it a 3-0 Ripon lead, but the Lasers got two back in the fourth to cut the Ripon lead to one.
The top of the fifth got away from the Red Hawks, as Lasell totaled three runs on four hits and left the bases loaded. When the dust settled after the inning, the scoreboard showed the Lasers in front by a margin of 5-3.
Lasell tacked on a run in the sixth, but Ripon answered with a run of their own with a single off the bat of
Brennah Bronk. The Red Hawks would get no closer, however, finishing the day at 6-6 on the season.
The Red Hawks are set to wrap up the Spring Games with two more games on Friday. First pitch of Game 1 against Hood College is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. EST, with the week's finale against Chicago set to follow at 4:30.
