RIPON, Wis. -- The Ripon College baseball team (5-22, 3-10 MWC) earned a non-conference victory at home this Tuesday, April 22, over the Carthage College Firebirds (12-20, 5-10 CCIW) behind a 17-run scoring onslaught. Pitcher Max Zuehlke (Madison, Wis., Madison West) recorded his first career win in the contest, notching 6 strikeouts over 5 innings pitched. 

The Red Hawks were firing on all cylinders from the jump on the first warm home game of the spring. Dismissing the first Firebird batters on two ground outs and a strikeout, the Red Hawks were the first on the board after freshman Payton Nackers (Land O Lakes, Fla., Land O Lakes HS) singled up the middle to bring junior Brock Peterson (Manitowoc, Wis., Manitowoc Lincoln HS) home for the opening run of the game. Ripon picked up their second run the next inning, with freshman Trey Page (Land O Lakes, Fla., Land O Lakes HS) putting up a sacrifice fly to bring in another freshman, Nolan Hollander (Crystal Lake, Ill., Crystal Lake Central). 

After Carthage scored their sole run of the contest in the third, the Red Hawks decided to respond in no uncertain terms in the fourth. Ripon took advantage of Firebird pitching struggles and assembled an 8 run outing, aided by an equal mix of well-struck singles, smart base running, and Carthage defensive lapses. Holding a 10-1 lead through a scoreless 5th inning, the Red Hawks moved to put the game away in the 6th. With 2 outs on the board, Page upped his RBI tally with a double to left, bringing in two Red Hawks, scoring himself on an error the next at bat. 

The highlight of Ripon's offense came later in the inning. After an error and a pair of walks, junior Crete Slattery (Lake Geneva, Wis., Badger HS) stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded, and delivered a second-pitch grand slam to put the Red Hawks up 16. The shot marks Slattery's 4th home run this season, and pushed his RBI total to 36, good for 5th most this season in the MWC. Carthage had no response for the deficit in the 7th, and the game closed with a 17-1 Ripon win. 

Ripon baseball returns to action this weekend, finishing out the previously postponed games against Grinnell in Iowa on Friday. Ripon took game one against the Pioneers earlier this year, with game two picking up at the top of the third with a 4-2 Ripon lead.