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RIPON, Wis. - For the past decade or so, there are two things you can always count on come May at Ripon College. The school year will end and the baseball team will play in the Midwest Conference Tournament. The Red Hawks clinched yet another berth in the conference tourney Sunday afternoon in a sweep of Lawrence University. Ripon won game one 14-12, before disposing of the Vikings 9-8 in the second game.
Lawrence (8-19, 3-9) struck quickly in the first inning. After a leadoff triple by Tim O'Toole, Billy Bodle drove him in on a ground out. That would be Lawrence's only lead of the game, as the Red Hawks (17-10, 11-1) put up six runs in the second frame. Matt Dwyer, and John Dunlavy each drove in two runs in the inning, while Mac Shumann and Kyle McFarland each had one RBI.
The Red Hawks did even more damage the following inning. Bo Johnson led the third off with a single, which was followed by two more singles, scoring Johnson from third. Chad Olson would then reach on a single of his own, driving in two more runs. McFarland would drive in the fourth run of the inning on a ground out.
Lawrence got those four runs back in the top of the fourth, highlighted by a Tommy Schmidt home run. Ripon then got one more run in the fifth on another Olson single. He wasn't done there, as the senior added a bases loaded single the following inning, which cleared the bases, giving the Red Hawks a 14-5 lead.
Lawrence put up a fight the rest of the game, scoring six runs in the seventh, and one more in the eighth. That was all they would get however, as they fell a couple runs short of a comeback.
Olson led the way for the Red Hawks with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate and 6 RBI. Johnson also recorded three hits, while McFarland, Birschbach, and Dwyer each had two. Dwyer also scored three runs, while driving in three more. Bryant Bednarek put an end to the scoring madness, pitching the final two innings for the Red Hawks, while allowing no runs and just two hits for his second save of the season.
Game two started out tame compared to the first contest. Ripon scored first on a towering solo home run by Mac Shumann to straight-away centerfield in the bottom of the first. The next couple innings went scoreless, until the fourth, when three Lawrence singles each produced a run. Ripon had an answer for that, tying the game with two runs in the bottom half of the inning on a Nick Whitty double to center.
The Red Hawks took the lead an inning later, scoring two more runs. That went along with two more in the sixth, as Ripon went yard again, this time a two-run shot by Bryant Bullock.
Lawrence would take the lead one last time in the top of the seventh, scoring five runs. The Vikings loaded the bases with no outs, setting up a two-RBI double by Bodle. A sac fly, a triple, and a single would score the other three runs in the frame. The Red Hawks didn't panic though, as they would snatch the lead right back in the bottom of the inning. Shumann tied the game as he scored on an error by the Lawrence third baseman. Brandan Birschbach then drove in the winning run in the next at-bat with a single to center.
Bednarek once again held the Vikings scoreless in the final two innings, earning his second win of the season, to go along with his save earlier in the day. Dunlavy led the Red Hawks with four hits in his five plate appearances. Shumann finished with three hits, while Johnson and Witty each recorded two. Shumann, Whitty, and Bullock each had two RBI.
The Red Hawks will now enter a crucial four-game series next weekend, going up against St. Norbert, who is also 11-1 in conference play. The winner of the series will host the Midwest Conference Tournament. Friday's doubleheader at Ripon is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Francis Field. The two teams will then turn around and play another double-dip at St. Norbert on Saturday at 1:00.
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