CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Ripon battled early but couldn't hold off late surges from Grinnell, dropping both ends of a rescheduled doubleheader as part of their three-game series.
Game 1: Grinnell 18, Ripon 9 (10 innings)
What looked like a strong bounce-back win for Ripon turned into a tough extra-inning loss after a dramatic late-game swing.
The Red Hawks came out hot, scoring in each of the first three innings to build a 7-2 lead. RBI singles from junior Crete Slattery (Lake Geneva, Wis., Badger HS) and sophomore Alex Ramus (Appleton, Wis., Appleton North HS) in the first got things going, while graduate student Gabriel Kennedy (DeForest, Wis., Northwestern St. Paul) added a two-run single in the second. In the third, seniors Alex Pankratz (Waupaca, Wis., Waupaca HS) and Kyler Hickman (Tracy, Calif., Merrill F. West HS) delivered run-scoring hits, with Hickman's two-run double pushing the lead to five.
Ripon extended its advantage to 9-3 in the sixth behind an unearned run and an RBI double from Ramus, putting the Red Hawks firmly in control heading into the late innings.
Grinnell, however, chipped away. A run in the seventh and a four-run eighth cut the lead to 9-7. The visitors tied the game in the ninth, capitalizing on a defensive miscue to force extras.
In the 10th, things unraveled quickly. Grinnell exploded for nine runs on six hits, including a grand slam, to break the game open and secure the 18-9 win.
Hickman led Ripon offensively, going 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBIs, while Ramus added three hits and two RBIs. Slattery and Pankratz each contributed multi-hit efforts as part of a 15-hit day for the Red Hawks.
Freshman Griffin Jens (New London, Wis., Hortonville HS) was solid through much of his start, allowing three runs over 6+ innings, but the bullpen was unable to hold off the late rally. Sophomore Ryan Splitt (Bolingbrook, Ill., Bolingbrook HS) was tagged with the loss.
Game 2: Grinnell 25, Ripon 3
The nightcap quickly got out of hand as Grinnell's offense stayed red-hot, piling up 25 runs on 23 hits to complete the sweep.
Ripon briefly kept pace early, tying the game 1-1 in the first on an RBI single from Slattery. The Red Hawks added single runs in the third and fifth, but couldn't generate sustained offense, finishing with just four hits.
Grinnell broke the game open with a three-run second and continued to add on before a massive 10-run fifth inning put the game out of reach. The visitors tacked on six more runs in the seventh to cap the scoring.
Slattery accounted for two of Ripon's three RBIs, while junior Brock Peterson (Manitowoc, Wis., Manitowoc Lincoln HS), freshman Payton Nackers (Land O Lakes, Fla., Land O Lakes HS), and freshman Raidan Shibayama (Honolulu, Hawaii, Punahou School) recorded the team's other hits.
Freshman Cade Johnson (Bonduel, Wis., Bonduel HS) took the loss on the mound, with multiple pitchers seeing time as Ripon tried to slow down Grinnell's lineup.
Ripon showed offensive promise in the opener but couldn't close it out, while Game 2 proved to be a much steeper challenge against a surging Grinnell lineup.
The Red Hawks look to turn things around in Mount Vernon tomorrow, April 25, when they take on Cornell College. First pitch is scheduled for 12pm.
