RIPON, Wisconsin – Completing the previously suspended game from April 22, the Ripon baseball program defeated Lawrence 16-14 on Wednesday afternoon at Francis Field.
In the scheduled game that followed between the Red Hawks (15-21, 8-10 MWC) and Vikings (17-17, 11-7 MWC), Lawrence rallied for a 14-10 victory.
Wednesday's first game picked up with the top of the eighth inning and Ripon leading 16-14. Each team had a rally stunted by a double play in the first three half innings. The Vikings put the tying run on base in the bottom of the ninth, but
Blaine Wahlen picked up his first save of the season by retiring the final two batters of the game.
A pair of Red Hawks had three hit games:
Alex Pankratz (3x5, 2 RBI, 3 runs) and
Gabriel Zielinski (3x6, GS, 4 RBI, 2 runs).
Chase Hanselman (2x5, 2 runs, walk),
Evan Olson (2x6, 2 runs),
Kyler Hickman (2x5, 4 runs, walk) and
Brock Peterson (2x5, RBI, run) also had multi-hit games as Ripon racked up 17 hits in the game.
Rex Bayer got the win on the mound, tossing 1.2 innings and allowing just one hit and one run. Wahlen got the three-inning save, allowing two hits.
Lawrence got on the board early in the next game, scoring twice in the opening half inning against Ripon starter
Mitchell Lukasik. However, Ripon quickly evened the score in the bottom of the first. Hickman doubled home
Jason Clark with two outs before scoring himself on a wild pitch. The Red Hawks scored four runs in the bottom of the second – Olson singled with one out before
Jack Anderson produced a run on a sacrifice fly. Then, Hickman singled home two more and Ripon took a four-run lead to the third inning.
Ripon tacked on another run in the third on an RBI single by Clark, and a double steal in the fourth scored Anderson as the lead grew.
The Vikings got two back in the fifth, and scored another in the eighth to inch closer. Then, Lawrence had the back-breaker in the eighth inning – a two-out grand slam gave the visitors the 9-8 lead.
After the Red Hawks were retired in order in the eighth, Lawrence scored five runs in the ninth – all with two outs – to pad its lead. However, Ripon made noise in the ninth. Scoring twice with two outs,
Mason Schoenke reached base on a fielder's choice and Hanselman scored on a wild pitch. Ripon loaded the bases and brought the tying run to the plate, but a flyout to right field ended the game.
Three Red Hawks accounted for 60% of Ripon's hits: Anderson (2x4, RBI, run), Hickman (2x5, 3 RBI, run) and Pankratz (2x4, run, walk). Lawrence had an 18-10 hits advantage on the afternoon.
Mitchell Lukasik was solid on the mound over 4.2 innings. He allowed five hits and four earned runs, striking out four.
Orion Rieden suffered the loss, giving up four earned runs in an inning and a third.
NEXT UP: Ripon hosts Monmouth for a doubleheader on Saturday, May 3 beginning at 12 p.m.
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