JACKSONVILLE, Illinois – The Ripon baseball program had mixed results on Friday at Joe Brooks Field, falling to Illinois College 6-2 before rebounding to defeat the Blueboys 15-7.
Ripon (11-16, 6-5 MWC) put runners at second and third with one out in the second inning of game one, but couldn't convert and Illinois College (20-12, 8-5 MWC) took advantage in the bottom of the inning. A leadoff homer and a two-out, two-run single by the Blueboys gave the hosts an early 3-0 lead.
Ripon responded in the top of the third, plating one. With runners on second and third,
Evan Olson scored
David Kleier on a sacrifice fly. The Red Hawks inched closer in the seventh, as a sacrifice fly by
Alex Pankratz brought home Olson. However, a runner was stranded to end the inning.
Three more runs crossed home for IC in the eighth, as the hosts put the game out of reach with an RBI double and a two-run homer.
Jason Clark led off the ninth with a double, but was unable to score and Ripon dropped game one.
Three Red Hawks had multi-hit games, as Clark (2x4, walk),
Kyler Hickman (2x5) and
Gabriel Zielinski (2x4) totaled six of Ripon's 10 hits. The Red Hawks left 12 men on base.
Blaine Wahlen was solid on the mound, though he was on the hook for the loss. He went seven innings, allowing eight hits and three earned runs while striking out six.
After IC scored the opening run of game two in the first inning, Ripon responded with a pair of runs in the second. With runners on the corners and just one out, Zielinski doubled home Hickman to tie the game. The next at-bat,
Alex Ramus brought home the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly to plate
Jack Anderson.
Ripon kept the scoring run going in the third, as Hickman extended the Red Hawk lead with a two-run double. And it was a good thing it did, as IC countered with a two-run homer in the bottom of the third to come within 4-3.
A third consecutive inning with at least two runs occurred for Ripon in the fourth. With the bases loaded and one out,
Chase Hanselman drilled a two-run single as Ramus and
Eli DiCarlo crossed home. The next at-bat, Olson crushed a three-run homer and the Red Hawks took a 9-3 lead.
A trio of two-out runs crossed home for Illinois College in the bottom of the fifth, cutting its deficit in half to 9-6. The Blueboys threatened in the bottom of the sixth – putting two runners on base with nobody out – but Ripon starter
Mitchell Lukasik left the bases loaded to preserve the lead heading into the late innings.
Ripon significantly padded its lead in the eighth. After DiCarlo walked to lead off the inning and Clark moved him to second with a sacrifice, Hanselman connected on an RBI double for Ripon's 10th run. Then, with two outs, Anderson singled home two more. The next at-bat, Zielinski hit a three-run homer as a three-run lead at the beginning of the inning ballooned to nine.
IC scratched one run across in the ninth, but Ripon forced a rubber match on Saturday with an eight-run win.
Hanselman had a three-hit game, going 3-for-6 with 3 RBI and 3 runs scored. Four other Red Hawks had multi-hit games: Clark (2x5, 2 runs), Hickman (2x3, 2 RBI, 2 runs, 2 walks), Anderson (2x4, 2 RBI, 2 runs, walk) and Zielinski (2x4, HR, 4 RBI, run). The Red Hawks pounded out 14 hits as a team.
Lukasik got the win, going a full six innings. He scattered nine hits and six earned runs across 100 pitches.
NEXT UP: Ripon finishes its road series with the Blueboys on Saturday, April 19. First pitch is slated for noon.
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