GALESBURG, Illinois – Facing an early two-run deficit on Sunday afternoon, the Ripon baseball program roared back to defeat Knox 16-5 in eight innings and win the season-opening Midwest Conference series for both teams.
 
Offensively, the Red Hawks could not have asked for a better start to the season. Through 15 games, Ripon has scored at least 10 runs four times. Additionally, the Red Hawks have scored at least seven runs in nine of their 15 games.
 
Knox (9-9, 1-2 MWC) grabbed the early lead, using three consecutive singles in the first inning to pull in front 2-0. Ripon (6-9, 2-1 MWC) would not be down long, however. Four singles in the first inning – including run-scoring base knocks by Kyler Hickman and David Kleier – evened the score at two after an inning and a half.
 
The Red Hawks' scoring barrage continued in the third. After Jack Anderson was hit by a pitch and Jason Clark singled, Evan Olson crushed a three-run home run to give Ripon its first lead of the day.
 
The Prairie Fire got two back in the bottom of the third, using an RBI double and sacrifice fly to trim its deficit. Olson continued his hot-hitting weekend in the fifth, doubling Ripon's lead with an RBI single to make it a 6-4 game.
 
Knox threatened to tie the game in the sixth – putting runners at second and third with one out – but Ripon starting pitcher Michael Sheehy induced a popup and a lineout to preserve the two-run lead.
 
Ripon rode that momentum in the seventh, as a two-run double by Chase Hanselman with two outs padded the Red Hawk lead to 8-4. On the next at-bat, Hickman doubled home Hanselman to extend the advantage.
 
Seven more runs crossed home in the eighth, as Pankratz singled home Owen Gerhardt and Kleier with nobody out to put Ripon in front 11-4. Two batters later, Clark continued to punish his former school by lacing a double down the third base line which scored Pankratz. Olson recorded his fifth RBI of the day on a sacrifice fly as Ripon took a 13-4 lead with one out in the eighth. To cross the 10-run margin, Gabriel Zielinski scored Clark with a sacrifice fly. Then, a Knox error produced another run and Gerhardt doubled home Hickman to further open the floodgates.
 
Knox scored once in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI single, but Sheehy stranded two runners on base to end the game and give Ripon the win.
 
As a team, Ripon pounded out 18 hits and seven extra-base hits. Every starter had at least one base hit, but the Red Hawks were led by Olson who was a perfect 4-for-4 with five runs driven in and three runs scored. Clark also had a perfect day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with an RBI and four runs scored against his former school. Hickman (3x4, two RBI, run, walk), Hanselman (2x4, two RBI, two runs) and Kleier (2x5, RBI, run) also had multi-hit affairs for Ripon.
 
On the mound, Sheehy pitched all eight innings to pick up the win. He scattered 11 hits and just three earned runs.
 
NEXT UP: Ripon steps back out of conference play on Wednesday, April 2 with a 3 p.m. game at Carthage.
 
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