RIPON, Wisconsin – The Ripon baseball program earned a hard-fought split on Thursday afternoon to open Midwest Conference action, falling 7-2 to Beloit before rebounding to defeat the Buccaneers 10-4 at Francis Field.
After Ripon (4-8, 1-1 MWC) was stymied offensively in the opener against Aiden Phipps, one of the conference's best pitchers, the Red Hawks broke out in a big way in the nightcap to win their first MWC game of the season.
Ripon pounded out 13 hits, second-most this season, while tallying a trio of extra-base hits for the third time in the last five games.
Though Beloit (10-6, 3-2 MWC) struck first with two runs in the top of the first in game two, Ripon answered quickly in the bottom half. After loading the bases with nobody out,
Nick Tenny was hit by a pitch to bring the Red Hawks within one. However, that would be all for the inning as a foul out and strikeout ended the frame.
Ripon took the lead for good in the bottom of the second.
Alex Pankratz tripled home
Michael Sheehy, and on the next at-bat,
Kaleb Burns scored Pankratz on a single. Though a double play ended the inning, Ripon carried momentum to the third and beyond.
After starter
Blaine Wahlen tossed his second consecutive perfect inning, the Red Hawk bats came alive again in the third. With runners on second and third,
Jack Anderson reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Tenny, as Ripon extended its lead again.
Wahlen continued to cruise, throwing four consecutive three up, three down innings from the second to the fifth. Ripon tallied another run in the bottom of the fifth after Anderson doubled home Tenny with two away.
Trailing 5-2, Beloit made noise in the top of the eighth. With two outs and runners on second and third, an errant Ripon throw allowed a pair of Buccaneers to score, tightening the game, though
Rex Bayer preserved the lead heading into the bottom of the eighth.
There, Ripon exploded and left nothing to chance in the ninth by scoring runs on four consecutive at-bats. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Burns manufactured a run with an RBI groundout. Next,
Kyler Hickman drove in a run on a sacrifice fly, while
Nick Terrell doubled home Pankratz to make it 8-4. Terrell then stole third and scored on a Beloit throwing error. After Tenny singled and stole second,
Crete Slattery reached on a Beloit error to score him and a snug, one-run lead ballooned to a six-run lead with Ripon three outs from a victory.
In the ninth,
David Neal Hickman and
Dawson Selvoski teamed up to keep Beloit scoreless and preserve the win.
Pankratz was a perfect 4-for-4 on the day, scoring three times and driving in a run. Tenny was 3-for-4 with a trio of runs scored and an RBI, while Anderson (2-for-5, 2 RBI) and Sheehy (2-for-2, 2 runs, walk) also had solid days at the plate.
Wahlen picked up his second consecutive quality start that led to a win, throwing seven innings while scattering just three hits and two earned runs. He struck out six – his third outing this season with 6+ punchouts – and walked one.
In the opening game, Hickman drove in the first run via a sacrifice fly after Burns tripled two batters in. Tied 1-1, Ripon took the lead again in the bottom of the fourth; Slattery led off the inning with a double, Anderson singled to move him over and
Remington Cox produced a run on another sacrifice fly.
However, Ripon would be shut down offensively the rest of the way. Beloit held the Red Hawks to three consecutive innings without a base runner as the Buccaneers took the lead with two runs in the top of the sixth. Beloit's big inning came in the top of the seventh – A two-out, grand slam took the wind out of Ripon's sails and would be the final four runs scored in the game.
Ripon had a one-out base runner in the ninth, but two consecutive groundouts ended the game in favor of the Bucs.
Anderson was the lone Red Hawk with a multi-hit outing, going 2-for-4. Burns, Terrell, Tenny, Slattery and Sheehy all recorded base knocks as well.
Mitchell Lukasik got the start on the mound and took the loss, throwing 6.2 innings. He gave up six hits, seven runs (three earned) and struck out a season-high seven with four walks.
NEXT UP: Ripon wraps up its series with the Buccaneers on Saturday (March 28) with a 1 p.m. first pitch from Beloit.
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