MONMOUTH, Illinois – The Ripon baseball program dropped two games on Saturday at Glasgow Field, falling to Monmouth by a pair of 3-2 scores.
Ripon (9-16, 6-8 MWC) wasted no time getting on the board in the opening inning of game one. After a pair of one-out hits by
Kaleb Burns and
Nick Terrell,
Alex Pankratz manufactured a run on an RBI groundout to get the Red Hawks on the board.
Two of the best pitchers in the league –
Mitchell Lukasik and Cade Sharp – stole the show from there. Lukasik gave up just two hits until the bottom of the seventh, while Sharp held Ripon without a base knock until the eighth.
Monmouth (14-12, 7-6 MWC) put runners at first and second with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh, and a bunt single combined with an error tied the game at one apiece. A pair of sacrifice flies moments later gave Monmouth a 3-1 lead heading into the eighth inning.
Terrell's eighth-inning, two-out double – the 54th of his career – tied the school record for career doubles, previously set by Jeff Rhoads in 2000. The hit was Ripon's first since the first inning, and an RBI single by Pankratz on the next at-bat cut Ripon's deficit in half. However, after a Monmouth miscue, Pankratz was thrown out at third to end the inning.
Ripon put the tying run on base in the ninth, but was unable to bring the runner home and dropped game one.
Offensively, Terrell was the only Red Hawk with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. Burns (1-for-4, run), Pankratz (1-for-4, 2 RBI), and
Michael Sheehy (1-for-3, walk) also found the hit column.
Lukasik took the hard-luck loss, firing seven complete innings and surrendering just four hits and a pair of earned runs. He also struck out three and walked three.
In game two, Ripon's first two batters reached on a walk and error to put runners at second and third with nobody out. Terrell then singled home both
Nick Tenny and Burns as the Red Hawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Ripon left the bases loaded, but still held an important lead after a half inning of play.
A two-out Ripon throwing error cracked the door open for Monmouth in the bottom of the third as the Scots plated two runs to tie the game, though Ripon starter
Blaine Wahlen stranded the go-ahead run in scoring position to end the inning.
Momentum came to the side of Ripon after a single, a two-base wild pitch and a walk put runners at the corners with one out for Monmouth in the bottom of the sixth. There,
Orion Rieden and
Dawson Selvoski wiggled the Red Hawks out of a jam with a strikeout and foul out to keep the game tied heading into the seventh.
Ripon again flirted with danger in the bottom of the eighth – after a two-out Monmouth double, a perfect relay from
Gabriel Zielinski to Terrell to Burns threw out the go-ahead run at the plate to preserve the tie game.
A one-out Scots' double put the winning run on second in the bottom of the ninth, and a two-out single gave Monmouth the win.
Offensively, Terrell was the standout, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI. Tenny (1-for-3, run, walk), Pankratz (1-for-4),
Jack Anderson (1-for-4), and
Kyler Hickman (1-for-2, walk) contributed base hits as well.
On the mound, Wahlen threw 5.1 innings, giving up just three hits and no earned runs. He also struck out six – his fifth consecutive game with 6+ punchouts.
Brock Turkington took the loss, his first of the season.
NEXT UP: Ripon closes out its weekend at Monmouth on Sunday, April 21 for a 12 p.m. first pitch.
FOLLOW: Follow Ripon College Red Hawks Athletics on Facebook and @RiponRedHawks on Twitter for immediate updates, results and more. Go to riponredhawks.com for all information, releases and schedules.
