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WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. - Ripon scored a run in the first inning, then rode the left arm of senior pitcher Jordan Baitinger for a 4-1 victory in the Red Hawk's first round Midwest Regional game against St. Olaf (MN). Baitinger made history during the win, going the distance for the first no-hitter of his collegiate career. That performance marks just the second no-no in NCAA Division III tournament history, and first since Rowan's Norm Charlesworth in 1980.
The Red Hawks (22-13) bats had some life to them early in the game. Chad Olson set the tone in the bottom of the first with a bloop single to left to lead off the inning. Kyle McFarland followed that up with a single of his own, and both runners advanced on a Mac Shumann sacrifice. John Dunlavy then brought Olson home with a sac fly to left for the early 1-0 lead.
Both teams held pat for the next few innings, before Ripon broke the game open in the fifth. After St. Olaf (31-9) retired the first two batters, Shumann got on base with an infield single. That opened the floodgates, as Dunlavy followed it up with a double down the left field line. Chevy Schultz then walked to load the bases for Bo Johnson, who ripped a single up the middle, scoring Shumann. Alex Duros then recorded the fourth consecutive hit for the Red Hawks, lining a single of his own up the middle, which scored Schultz and Dunlavy for a 4-0 Ripon advantage.
St. Olaf finally got on the board in the sixth, but not due to a base hit. Baitinger pegged Luke Gagnon, putting him on first to lead off the inning. After a ground out, a Ripon error put runners on the corners with one out. Carson Jones then grounded out to third, scoring Gagnon on the play, and giving the Oles their first run of the game. Neither team would score after that, giving Ripon the victory in their first game of the double elimination tournament.
Baitinger gave his infield a lot of practice on the day. 19 of the 27 outs he recorded were ground outs. He also struck out five, while walking two. The only run he allowed was unearned. Olson, Dunlavy, and Duros led the Red Hawks at the plate with two hits apiece.
Ripon will now play St. Thomas (MN) Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. at Witter Field in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
St. Thomas defeated UW-Oshkosh 5-1 on Wednesday afternoon to advance in the winners bracket.
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