RIPON, Wis. -- Ripon College baseball closed out the first two games of its final Midwest Conference series of the season in strong fashion Saturday, sweeping Knox College at Francis Field with a 6-2 win in game one before erupting for a 16-6 victory in game two.
The Red Hawks improved to 8-29 overall and will look to complete the three-game sweep when the teams meet again Sunday in the series finale.
Ripon's pitching set the tone in the opener as sophomore Brady Wotruba (Pulaski, Wis., Pulaski HS) delivered 8.1 innings of steady work, allowing just two runs, one earned, on eight hits while striking out three to earn his second win of the season.
The game remained scoreless until the sixth inning when senior Jack Anderson (Oconomowoc, Wis., Oconomowoc HS) broke through with a two-run homer to left, scoring senior Kyler Hickman (Tracy, Calif., Merrill F. West HS) and giving Ripon a 2-0 lead. The Red Hawks added four more runs in the seventh, highlighted by an RBI double from sophomore Alex Ramus (Appleton, Wis., Appleton North HS), an RBI single from Hickman, and another run-scoring double from Anderson.
Anderson finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs, while Hickman went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Ramus added two hits off the bench, and freshman Nolan Hollander (Crystal Lake, Ill., Crystal Lake Central) collected two hits and scored once.
Knox pushed across runs in the eighth and ninth, but senior Griffin Klein (Green Bay, Wis., Notre Dame Academy HS) recorded the final two outs to secure the win.
Ripon's offense carried that momentum into game two, pounding out 17 hits and scoring in five different innings to complete the sweep.
After falling behind 2-0 in the first, Ripon answered with a five-run third inning. Senior Alex Pankratz (Waupaca, Wis., Waupaca HS) started the rally with a solo home run, while Hickman, Anderson, and Ramus each drove in runs during the frame.
The Red Hawks continued to add on from there, scoring once in the fourth, four times in the sixth, two more in the seventh, and four in the eighth.
Hickman led the attack by going 3-for-6 with three RBIs. Sophomore Bailey Schepp (Oakfield, Wis., Oakfield HS) reached base four times, scored four runs, and added three hits, including a triple. Pankratz finished with two hits, three runs scored, and the homer, while Ramus drove in two runs with a pair of hits. Junior Owen Gerhardt (Greenville, Wis., Fox Valley Lutheran HS) also had two hits and two RBIs.
Junior Crete Slattery (Lake Geneva, Wis., Badger HS) added a two-run double in the sixth inning, and freshman Payton Nackers (Land O Lakes, Fla., Land O Lakes HS) chipped in an RBI single.
Freshman Griffin Jens (New London, Wis., Hortonville HS) earned the win on the mound, tossing 5.2 innings while allowing four runs, three earned, with four strikeouts.
Ripon and Knox will wrap up the conference series Sunday afternoon when they will also celebrate their seniors. First pitch is scheduled for 12pm at Francis Field.
