RIPON, Wis. -  The Red Hawk softball team hosted Alverno for a doubleheader on Thursday, picking up a pair of wins between 19 total hits. The sweep marks the first time Ripon has one twice in the same day since March 12, when they knocked off Roger Williams and Augsburg in the Spring Games.
 
Riley Brieder started the scoring with a single to right field in the bottom of the second, and Hadley Berendsen added to the lead with a sac fly an inning later. Back-to-back bases-loaded walks gave the Red Hawks a 4-0 lead heading to the fourth, providing just enough cushion for Ripon to survive Alverno's two-run fifth.
 
Abby Gilbertson joined Brieder as Red Hawks with a multi-hit performance, and Gilbertson now has the team lead with 10. Brennah Bronk picked up her fourth win of the season in the circle behind a trio of strikeouts, while Catherine Skoglund recorded 2.2 unblemished innings of relief work.
 
Ripon carried the momentum of the opener into Game 1, overcoming an Inferno run in the opening frame to answer with a four-spot in the home half. Bronk and Maddie Hablewitz picked up back-to-back doubles, with Sydney Swanson and Mara Millard adding RBI knocks before the big inning came to a close.
 
Kayla Cruz' flyout to center in the third was deep enough to plate Berendsen from third, and while Alverno was able to scratch across another run late, the Red Hawks held on for the afternoon sweep. Mikaela Lawrence was dialed in for Game 2, providing four hits from atop the Red Hawk order, marking her third such game this spring.
 
Kalen went the distance in the in the nightcap, striking out two batters en route to her third win of the year. She has now turned in nine complete games this season, the best on the team and tied for the second-most in the Midwest Conference.
 
The Red Hawks return to action on Friday, when they host Lawrence for a pair of Midwest Conference games. First pitch from Tracy Field is slated for 3:00 p.m.