KISSIMMEE, Florida – The Ripon softball program won a low-scoring, 2-1 defensive battle over Albertus Magnus on Thursday afternoon to earn a day's split at Fortune Road Park.
In the opener, Ripon lost to Pitt-Greensburg 6-4.
Winning her first career collegiate game in the circle against Albertus Magnus (3-5),
Kenzie Pahang kept the Falcons off balance all day. Throwing a complete game – her third of the young season – the freshman gave up just six hits and one run, striking out three across an efficient 95 pitches for Ripon (2-8).
Offensively, Ripon only had four hits but made them count.
Kayla Cruz,
Maddie Hablewitz,
Abrianna Anderson and
Hannah Vargas each went 1-for-3, while
Mikaela Lawrence and Cruz collected an RBI apiece.
Albertus Magnus struck first in the top of the third on an RBI double but Ripon controlled the game from there. Three batters into the bottom of the third, after a walk by
Sydney Swanson to lead off the inning, Ripon got help from an AMC error and tied the game on a fielder's choice RBI by Lawrence. Two batters later, Cruz singled home the go-ahead and game-winning run as Ripon took the lead for good.
Against Pitt-Greensburg (4-3), Ripon collected nine total hits and only had one inning where no Red Hawk reached base. The Bobcats struck first in the bottom of the first via an RBI single as a leadoff double kickstarted the inning. The score remained 1-0 until the top of the fourth when Ripon evened it up. With two outs, Hablewitz singled between the first baseman and the right fielder, scoring
Kalen Berger, to make it a 1-1 game heading into the late innings.
Greensburg reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fourth, however. A bases-loaded, two-out, RBI single put the Bobcats in front, and another run-scoring single the next at-bat – coupled with a Ripon throwing error – brought in two more runs.
Ripon punched back in the top of the fifth, refusing to go down quietly.
Daniella Orozco drove home Lawrence on an RBI double and just like that, Ripon was down 4-2. After Cruz walked,
Nadiyah Huizar was hit by the pitch with the bases loaded to inch Ripon closer. However, that was all the Red Hawks would muster as a bases-loaded, nobody out rally resulted in just one run. Still, Ripon seized momentum and only trailed 4-3 with six outs to go.
Greensburg tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth with two outs, scoring on a wild pitch and an RBI single to again push its lead to three runs.
For the third consecutive inning, Ripon plated a run in the top of the sixth. With runners at second and third with one out, Orozco drove home another run on a sacrifice fly, though Ripon would strand a runner at third to end the inning.
Ripon rallied in the seventh, putting the tying run at second with two outs, but a flyout ended the game.
Lawrence was a perfect 3-for-3 at the dish, scoring once and walking once.
Hadley Berendsen went 2-for-3 with a walk, while Orozco drove in a pair of runs.
Berger took the loss on the mound, pitching 6.0 innings while yielding 12 hits and five earned runs.
NEXT UP: Ripon wraps up its Florida trip on Friday (March 15) in Kissimmee with games against Hamline (11 a.m. CT) and Loras (1:15 p.m. CT).
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