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BELOIT, Wis. – Ripon's longest winning streak of the season came to an end Saturday afternoon, as the they suffered their first conference loss of the season in the second game of their doubleheader at Beloit. The Red Hawks won the first game of the day 14-10 to extend their winning streak to 13 games, but Beloit got the best of them in the second game, winning 12-5. That defeat also puts a halt to Ripon's winning streak against the Buccaneers at 10 games.
The first inning of game one was a wild one, with 10 runs scored between the two teams. Ripon (21-4, 9-1) posted six of those runs in the top of the inning, with the first seven batters reaching base, including five of them on extra-base hits. Nick Beaman, Mac Shumann, Nick Whitty, and Kurt Roeder each doubled, driving in at least one run apiece.
The ball continued to fly off the bats in the bottom of the first. The biggest blow coming with two outs, when Jon Moran connected on a three-run homer to cut Ripon's lead to two. Beloit (16-14, 5-9) added another run in the second on an RBI double by Mike Kovach.
Ripon took control of the game again in the third, with three runs in the inning, all scoring on a bases loaded double by Bryant Bullock. Later in the game, with Ripon leading 10-8, the Red Hawks got even more breathing room, scoring three times in the eighth inning. Nate Paul and Whitty each had RBI doubles in the inning, while the third run scored when Whitty crossed the plate due to an error. Ripon scored again in the ninth, and would hold off a late rally by Beloit to win 14-10.
Bullock and Whitty each had three hits and three RBI in the game, while Whitty also scored four times. Beaman, Duros, Paul, and Brett Wegner each finished with two hits apiece. Mike Lloyd (5-2) pitched eight innings for the win, allowing eight runs in that time.
The two teams waited until the later innings to score their runs in the second game of the day. Each team scored once on a sacrifice fly in the second inning, before Beloit exploded for five runs in the third. Beloit drove home three of those runs on singles, one on a double, and another on a bases loaded walk.
The Buccaneers added another run in the fourth, which was matched by Ripon with a run in the top of the fifth. Beloit was persistent though, scoring twice more in the bottom of the fifth. Ripon scored two runs in the seventh on a sac fly by Paul and a single from Duros, but each time Ripon would make a rally, Beloit had an answer. The Buccaneers would score again in the seventh, and two more times in the eighth to lock up the victory.
Beaman and Wegner led all Red Hawk batters with three hits in the nightcap. Duros, Paul Ebben, and Scott Gillespie each added two hits in the game. Matt Dwyer (4-2) took the loss, allowing seven earned runs in five innings of work, striking out five and walking four.
The Red Hawks will get a chance to redeem themselves on Sunday, as they'll host Beloit in another doubleheader. The first game will begin at 1:00 p.m. at Francis Field.
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