APPLETON, Wisconsin – The Ripon baseball program fell 5-4 in the final at bat at Lawrence on Tuesday afternoon, while game two was suspended due to darkness after seven complete innings with Ripon in front 16-14.
 
The final two innings will be played next Wednesday, April 30 at 1 p.m. in Ripon. The regularly scheduled contest between the schools will follow.
 
The Ripon (12-18, 6-7 MWC) offense picked up where it left off after Monday's 14-run outburst, putting runs up right away in the first inning of game one. Jason Clark singled and Chase Hanselman doubled to open the game before Evan Olson manufactured a run on an RBI groundout. Then, Hanselman crossed home on an attempted double steal to double Ripon's lead.
 
Lawrence (14-14, 8-5 MWC) gave Ripon starter Jacob Riddick trouble in the bottom of the first, as three straight walks loaded the bases with one out. However, a popup and a groundout got Ripon out of the inning unscathed.
 
Ripon added another run in the second, as Brock Peterson singled through the right side to score Gabriel Zielinski. The Red Hawks had the bases loaded with one out, but a 1-2-3 double play ended the threat.
 
Lawrence responded in the bottom of the third, as the Vikings got two runs back on a two-run homer. The Vikings then tied the game in the fourth on a two-out double steal.
 
The game wasn't tied for long, as Zielinski legged out an infield single with two outs in the fifth to score Hickman. Lawrence loaded the bases in the fifth with one out, but Alex Pankratz stabbed a line drive up the middle and touched second to finish off the double play, keeping Ripon in front.
 
Lawrence again knotted the score in the bottom of the seventh, and Ripon threatened in both the eighth and ninth innings – putting the first two runners aboard in each frame – but were unable to cash in.
 
A walk-off, two-out, single by the Vikings gave the hosts the game one win.
 
Zielinski was 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored, while Hanselman (2x4, walk, run) and Peterson (2x4, RBI, walk) also had multi-hit games. Riddick was solid in his first Midwest Conference start; the freshman tossed 4.1 innings and allowed three hits with three earned runs. Matthew Stuczynski suffered the loss after throwing one complete inning. He allowed one hit and one earned run.
 
Game two's offensive outburst necessitated the suspended game – Ripon scored four runs in the opening half inning. Hanselman stole home as part of a double steal with Olson before Pankratz singled home Olson to double the lead. Then, a wild pitch plated both Pankratz and Hickman. However, the Vikings scored the next seven runs -- all in the bottom of the first. Ripon got one run back in the third on a Jack Anderson sacrifice fly, but Lawrence scored the next three runs to lead 10-5. Zielinski got four runs back in the fifth on a grand slam, and Peterson followed with a solo homer to tie the game. 

Lawrence responded with a grand slam of its own in the bottom of the fifth to take a 14-10 lead, but Ripon cut the deficit in half in the sixth on a two-run double by Crete Slattery. Four more runs crossed home in the seventh -- Pankratz singled home Hanselman before Olson scored on a wild pitch. Hickman then scored himself on another wild pitch, and an error plated Pankratz to round out the Wednesday scoring.

Ripon tossed a scoreless seventh to take a 16-14 lead at the suspension of the game.
 
NEXT UP: Ripon hosts Marian at 2 p.m. on Thursday (April 24) for the Red Hawks' final non-conference home game of 2025.
 
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