MONMOUTH, Illinois – The Ripon softball program fell in a pair of close battles at Monmouth on Saturday afternoon at the Monmouth College Softball Field.
 
The Scots took the opener 6-4 and rallied to post an 11-9 win in the afternoon finale.
 
Monmouth (4-21, 2-0 MWC) struck first in the bottom of the second in game one, starting a rally with two outs as a two-out steal of home gave the hosts a 1-0 lead after two innings.
 
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, an RBI groundout brought home a second Scots run and a third came home on a bases-loaded hit by pitch. An RBI single gave Monmouth a 4-0 lead as all three runs in the inning were scored with two outs.
 
The bats woke up in the top of the fifth for Ripon (2-16, 0-4 MWC). After Abrianna Anderson walked, Kayla Cruz and Savannah Barajas singled to load the bases. Anna Bauer delivered a two-out, RBI single to get Ripon on the board. The next at-bat, MariaFernanda Lerma came through with a two-RBI single as the Red Hawks inched closer. However, two runners were stranded in scoring position to end the inning.
 
Monmouth added to its lead in the bottom half of the fifth. With runners on the corners and nobody out, a Ripon throwing error brought in the fifth Scots' run. However, Ripon pitcher Kalen Berger stranded a runner on third to finish the inning and keep it a 5-3 game.
 
Ripon would not go away and again got within a run in the top of the sixth. With two outs, Daniella Orozco doubled and Cruz drove home pinch-runner Sydney Swanson to tighten the score. Unfortunately, a groundout ended the inning as Ripon settled for the solo run.
 
An unearned tally for Monmouth in the bottom of the sixth gave the Scots an insurance run. Ripon had runners on first and second with one out in the seventh, but a game-ending double play gave Monmouth the win.
 
Cruz (2-for-4, RBI, run) and Bauer (2-for-4, RBI) each had multi-hit outings for Ripon, while Barajas (1-for-4), Nadiyah Huizar (1-for-3, walk) and Lerma (1-for-1, 2 RBI, walk) also had hits.
 
Berger pitched the whole game in the circle for the Red Hawks, allowing nine hits and five earned runs.
 
Ripon drew first blood in the second inning of game two. Samantha Nicholson started the rally with a hit-by-pitch, Anderson singled and both advanced on a wild pitch. After Hadley Berendsen walked, Maddie Hablewitz produced a run on an RBI groundout and Cruz singled home two more to give Ripon a comfortable 3-0 lead. Ripon wasn't done as another two-out hit, this time a double by Barajas, put Ripon up 4-0.
 
Ripon's big inning continued as Bauer singled with the bases loaded to drive home another run. The next at-bat, Nicholson scored two on a single and, to punctuate the inning, Anderson reached first on an error which scored Bauer.
 
All told in the inning, Ripon scored seven, two-out runs to break the game open early.
 
Monmouth charged back in the bottom of the third, scoring four runs in the inning with one out. However, Ripon pitcher Kenzie Pahang buckled down to strand two runners in scoring position as Ripon maintained its lead through three innings.
 
The Red Hawks responded in the fourth as Anderson scored Bauer on an RBI groundout, pushing Ripon's advantage to 9-4.
 
Monmouth stormed back in the bottom of the fifth, scoring six runs – all with two outs – to take a 10-9 lead into the sixth inning. One more run came in for insurance in the bottom of the sixth as the Scots led 11-9 with a single inning to play.
 
Ripon put the tying run on base with nobody out in the top of the seventh, but three consecutive flyouts ended the game.
 
Cruz had a monster second game at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored. She became just the 22nd player in program history to rack up four hits in a single game. Bauer was the second Red Hawk with a three-hit game, going 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Orozco (2-for-4, run, walk) and Barajas (2-for-5, RBI, run) also had multi-hit games.
 
On the mound, Pahang took the loss, giving up nine hits and nine earned runs in 4.2 innings of work.
 
NEXT UP: Ripon visits Cornell for a doubleheader on Sunday, April 14 beginning at 1 p.m.
 
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