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Ripon College Athletics

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baseball vs iwu 3/9
Courtesy of Joe Lukasik
3
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 4-3
4
Winner Ripon College RCBSB 2-2
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
4-3
3
Final
4
Ripon College RCBSB
2-2
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 9 0
Ripon College RCBSB 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 4 11 2

W: Sheehy, Michael (1-0) L: Schwab, Luke (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Burns' Sac Fly Lifts Baseball Past Illinois Wesleyan in Extras

AUBURNDALE, Florida – Kaleb Burns of the Ripon baseball program hit a walk-off, sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th as the Red Hawks defeated Illinois Wesleyan 4-3 on Saturday afternoon at Lake Myrtle Park.
 
In a game that had various momentum shifts, Ripon (2-2) answered the rally by Illinois Wesleyan (4-3) in the ninth inning as the Titans plated two in the top of the ninth – scoring the tying run down to their last strike.
 
After pitching a scoreless top half of the 10th, Ripon saw the first two batters reach in the bottom half. Walks by Kyler Hickman and Nick Tenny brought Michael Sheehy to the plate with nobody out. He laid down a sacrifice bunt, Gabriel Zielinski was intentionally walked and Burns poked a fly ball out to left center to win the game for the Red Hawks.
 
Illinois Wesleyan struck first in the bottom of the third as an RBI single gave the Titans their first (and only) lead of the day. IWU pitcher Dalen Banks kept Ripon at bay in the opening frames, giving up no runs through 4 ⅓ innings.
 
However, the Red Hawks evened the score in the top of the fifth. After a single by Burns and a double by Alex Pankratz, Jack Anderson ripped an RBI single to tie the game at one. In the Red Hawks' next half inning, an early rally again sparked Ripon – Tenny led off with a double, Crete Slattery singled and Remington Cox produced a run on a sacrifice RBI bunt. Two batters later, Burns brought home Slattery and just like that, Ripon was in front 3-1 with nine outs to go.
 
Things got interesting in the top half of the ninth. With runners on first and third with one out, the Titans cut their deficit in half on an RBI single. With two outs and runners on first and third, a Ripon error allowed the tying run to score. Brandon Peace stranded the go-ahead run on third to limit the damage and keep the game deadlocked at three.
 
Ripon had the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth with nobody out, but a double play and a popup ended the threat. A scoreless top of the 10th thrown by Sheehy allowed Burns to be the hero in the bottom half.
 
Burns was a perfect 2-for-2 with a pair of walks, an RBI and a run scored. Slattery (2-for-4, run), Anderson (2-for-4, RBI) and Pankratz (2-for-5) all had multiple hit games.
 
On the mound, Mitchell Lukasik was terrific over 8.1 innings. The junior surrendered just three runs – two earned – on nine hits while punching out three. Sheehy picked up his first win of the season after coming on in relief in the 10th.
 
NEXT UP: Ripon has a pair of games on Sunday (March 10) as the Red Hawks face Wheaton (Mass.) at 11:30 a.m. CT and Rutgers-Camden at 6 p.m. CT in Auburndale.
 
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