GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Ripon dropped a tightly contested series finale on Wednesday, falling 2-1 in a low-scoring battle to close out the three-game set. With the loss, the Red Hawks went 1-2 in the series.
Slow start, the Red Hawks broke through in the fifth inning, as freshman Raidan Shibayama (Honolulu, Hawaii, Punahou School) delivered an RBI single to score freshman Payton Nackers (Land O Lakes, Fla., Land O Lakes HS) and tie the game at 1-1.
Ripon totaled seven hits on the day, led by freshman Trey Page's (Land O Lakes, Fla., Land O Lakes HS) 2-for-3 performance at the plate. Senior Jack Anderson (Oconomowoc, Wis., Oconomowoc HS) and junior Crete Slattery (Lake Geneva, Wis., Badger HS) each recorded doubles, while Shibayama accounted for the team's lone RBI. Nackers scored the Red Hawks' only run.
On the mound, sophomore Ryan Splitt (Bolingbrook, Ill., Bolingbrook HS) turned in a strong start, allowing just one run over five innings while striking out three. Sophomore Tyler Thompson (Dublin, Calif., Dublin HS) was charged with the loss after giving up one run in two innings of relief, and senior Griffin Klein (Green Bay, Wis., Notre Dame Academy HS) added a scoreless inning to keep the game within reach.
Ripon returns to action on Saturday, April 18, when it hosts Illinois College for a doubleheader beginning at 12pm.