BELOIT, Wis. – The Ripon softball team split a Midwest Conference twin bill on Wednesday, falling 7-3 against Beloit before responding with a win by the same score in the nightcap. The Red Hawks combined to pick up 21 hits on the afternoon, and they have now won five of their last six games.
 
The two teams exchanged zeroes in Wednesday's opener before Ripon broke through in the top of the fourth to take a 2-0 lead. The home half got away from the Red Hawks, and Sydney Swanson's RBI single in the following frame was as close as Ripon would come to a rally.
 
Swanson led the offense with a 2-for-4 effort at the plate that included a pair of RBI, while Maddie Hablewitz added a two-hit performance of her own. Kalen Berger turned in a nice relief effort in the circle, surrendering just one hit over 2.1 innings of work.
 
The Ripon offense went to work early in Game 2, with Abby Gilbertson starting the scoring in the opening frame with a two-run shot over the wall in right field. Gilbertson singled in a run in the second, paving the way for Anna Bauer to bring in two more with an RBI double that extended Ripon's lead to 5-0.
 
Beloit scratched across a run in the second and another in the third to cut into the deficit, but a bases-loaded walk and a Hannah Berendsen single in the fifth again moved the Red Hawks in front by five runs. The Buccanneers pulled off a successful double steal to plate their final run of the game in the bottom half, but Ripon limited the damage and held on for the win.
 
Gilbertson went 3-for-4 with three RBI, and her 22 RBI is good enough for tops on the team this spring. Berendsen and Swanson each recorded a two-hit game, giving the Red Hawks 57 so far in 2023. Berger went the distance en route to her fifth win of the year, striking out three Beloit hitters along the way. 
 
The Red Hawks' next scheduled action is Saturday, when they play host to Grinnell for the final Midwest Conference doubleheader of the season. First pitch from Tracy Field is slated for 1:00 p.m.