CLERMONT, Fla. -- Ripon College softball closed out its spring break trip in Florida with a split on March 20, falling to Colby in the opener before bouncing back with an emphatic win over SUNY Morrisville in the finale.
Game 1: Colby 9, Ripon 1
Ripon struggled to generate offense in the morning matchup, managing just one hit in the loss.
Freshman Carli Moldenhauer (Oconomowoc, Wis., Oconomowoc HS) accounted for that lone hit with a double, while freshman Cyriana Reinwald (Horicon, Wis., Horicon HS) scored the team's only run after drawing one of her three walks. Senior Kayla Cruz (Anaheim, Calif., Anaheim HS) drove in the run with an RBI groundout in the fourth inning.
Colby capitalized on defensive miscues, scoring multiple unearned runs to pull away. Freshman Peyton Vandeloo (Kaukauna, Wis., Freedom HS) struck out eight over five innings in the start, while sophomore Brooklyn Cooper (Reno, Nev., Galena HS) worked in relief.
Game 2: Ripon 8, SUNY Morrisville 0
Ripon responded in a big way in the final game of the trip, using a fast start and dominant pitching to secure the shutout victory.
The Red Hawks scored twice in each of the first two innings before breaking the game open with a three-run third. Reinwald highlighted the offense with a home run, while senior Hadley Berendsen () drove in three runs, including a key two-run double. Freshman Nora Lowney (Racine, Wis., Case HS) also added an RBI, and Cruz finished with two hits. Sophomore Maddie Heisler (Appleton, Wis., Appleton East HS) and freshman Desirae Kallstrom (DeForest, Wis., DeForest HS) each came all the way around to score during their at-bats, taking advantage of defensive errors and aggressive base running.
In the circle, Vandeloo was dominant, tossing a complete-game two-hitter with 11 strikeouts to earn the win.
The finale also carried added significance, as all of Ripon's seniors saw action and selected the teammates they wanted to share the field with in their final game of the Florida trip.
Ripon wraps up its spring break slate with an 8-5 record and will return to action on Wednesday, Mar 25, for a doubleheader at Lakeland.