RIPON, Wisconsin – The Ripon softball program opened the last week of the regular season on Monday, falling to Beloit 13-9 and 8-4 at Tracy Field.
Ripon (9-21, 3-9 MWC) couldn't have asked for a better start in the opener, scoring seven times over the first three innings to take an early 7-0 lead over Beloit (10-26, 4-10 MWC). With the bases loaded and one out in the first,
Hadley Berendsen singled home two, while
Anna Bauer also scored on an error, as Ripon put up a crooked number in the opening inning.
In the bottom of the second,
Maddie Hablewitz led off with a walk and two batters later,
Kayla Cruz doubled her home to give Ripon another run. The Red Hawks produced another three-spot in the bottom of the third –
Samantha Nicholson brought home a run on a sacrifice fly, while
Sydney Swanson reached on an error two batters later to bring home
Abrianna Anderson. The next at-bat, Hablewitz scored on a wild pitch and Ripon continued to open the game with authority.
Beloit roared back in the fourth, however, scoring six runs to significantly cut into its deficit. The Buccaneers had seven hits in the inning and scored all six runs with nobody out.
In the top of the fifth, Beloit took the lead for good. The Bucs got a one-out homer and a one-out RBI groundout to lead 8-7 through four and a half.
Five more runs came home for Beloit in the top of the sixth – all with two outs – as the Bucs pushed their lead to 13-7.
Savannah Barajas reached on an error with two outs in the bottom of the sixth to score
MariaFernanda Lerma, and Nicholson collected another sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh, but Ripon fell 13-9 in the opening game of the day.
Cruz (2-for-4, RBI, run) and
Nadiyah Huizar (2-for-4, 2 run) each had multi-hit days, while Berendsen (1-for-4, 2 RBI), Anderson (1-for-4, run), Hablewitz (1-for-1, 2 run, walk) and Lerma (1-for-2, run) all recorded base hits as well.
Kenzie Pahang took the loss on the mound, throwing 2.2 innings in relief while giving up eight hits with six earned runs.
The offense settled down in game two, but Ripon again took an early lead. An RBI double in the second by Nicholson opened the scoring, and a sacrifice fly by Cruz three batters later gave Ripon a 2-0 advantage. However, two runners were stranded in scoring position to end the inning.
An RBI single by Beloit cut the Bucs' deficit in half in the third, but the Red Hawks caught a runner in a run down between third and home to end the frame.
The Buccaneers produced four more runs in the fourth, taking the lead for good by a score of 5-2 through three and a half innings.
Ripon rallied in the bottom of the fifth, scoring twice. With one out, Lerma rocketed a double to center field, scoring Barajas, and Bauer reached base on an error the next at-bat to score Lerma as Ripon came within 5-4 and seized momentum back after Beloit's big inning.
Unfortunately, Beloit scored three more times in the top of the sixth, all two-out runs, to pull ahead 8-4 as the innings wound down. Ripon went hitless over the final two innings and the Red Hawks dropped game two 8-4.
Cruz (1-for-2, RBI, walk) extended her hitting streak to 15 games, while
Daniella Orozco (1-for-3, walk), Lerma (1-for-4, RBI, run), Berendsen (1-for-3, run) and Nicholson (1-for-3, RBI, run) also reached base via hit. Ripon was patient at the plate, totaling five walks in the game.
Kalen Berger took the loss in the circle for Ripon, tossing 5.2 innings. She surrendered 13 hits and eight earned runs.
NEXT UP: Ripon heads to Fond du Lac for a doubleheader at Marian on Wednesday, May 1 beginning at 3 p.m.
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