DAVENPORT, Florida – A big second inning and a strong finish for Coe were too much for the Ripon baseball program on Wednesday afternoon as the Red Hawks fell 11-4 to the Kohawks at Northeast Regional Park.
 
After a fast-moving first inning that featured miscues by both teams on the basepaths, Coe (4-7) claimed an early lead in the top half of the second. An RBI double put the Kohawks on top, and moments later, three more runs came in on three consecutive at-bats: first on an RBI single, then on an RBI double and finally via a sacrifice fly. However, Kyler Hickman responded in the bottom half, crushing a solo home run to left to cut into the Ripon (2-6) deficit.
 
Pitching and defense dominated until the bottom of the fifth inning, when Ripon got on the board again. Alex Pankratz connected on an RBI single to score Kaleb Burns, who doubled to lead off the inning.
 
Coe kept Ripon at bay, however. The Kohawks scored a single run in the sixth and two more in the seventh on a two-run home run, though Burns added a solo shot of his own in the bottom half of the seventh to make it a 7-3 game with six outs to go.
 
Four more runs ensued for the Kohawks in the eighth and ninth innings. Ripon wouldn't go down without a fight in the final half inning, however. Pankratz singled, stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball before Jack Anderson drove him in with a double. Unfortunately, a lineout ended the rally and the game to give Coe the victory.
 
Offensively, Burns was a perfect 3-for-3 on the day with an RBI and a pair of runs scored for his first three-hit game of the season. Pankratz also had a three-hit day, going 3-for-5 with an RBI and run scored. He now has three multi-hit games and a pair of three-hit games this season. Hickman went 2-for-3 with the solo blast in the second inning.
 
On the mound, Michael Sheehy earned the start but picked up the loss, tossing 2.0 innings while giving up seven hits and four earned runs. Brett Tetzlaff was the long reliever for Ripon on Wednesday, throwing 4.0 innings while scattering five hits and just a single, unearned run over a team-high 46 pitches.
 
NEXT UP: Ripon continues play on Thursday, March 14 as the Red Hawks face Loras at 3 p.m. CT from Auburndale, Florida.
 
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