Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

RIPON, Wis. – Leading the MWC North Division by one game entering the day, Ripon dropped a pair of games to St. Norbert, giving the Green Knights the regular season division title. Despite the 4-2 and 8-2 results, both teams will still be a part of the Midwest Conference Tournament, which begins on Friday in Galesburg, Ill.

Ripon (25-8, 12-4 MWC) needed just one win in the doubleheader to win the division, and it looked as if they may do so in the first game of the day. After St. Norbert (24-9, 13-3 MWC) scored a run to lead off the top of the first, Ripon took their first and only lead of the day with two runs in the second. Both runs scored on double by Matt Dwyer, which allowed Nick Whitty to score from first. After a terrible throw by the Green Knights that went into the dugout, Dwyer rounded third and scored on the same play.

Both team's pitching shut the opposing offense down for the next several innings, until St. Norbert took the lead for good with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. Each run scored on an RBI single. The Green Knights added an insurance run in the ninth for a 4-2 lead. Ripon made things interesting with a single with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but a double play ball ended the game.

Whitty led the Red Hawks with three hits in the game, while Dwyer and Nick Beaman each had two, including a double for each of them. Bob Bruce (1-1) took the loss, despite giving up just seven hits in 8.2 innings.

The second game of the day lacked much offense in the early inning, with the two teams combining for four hits in the first five frames. St. Norbert made up for that lack of offense in the top of the sixth, scoring seven runs to break the game wide open. That inning included five hits and a Ripon error. The Red Hawks got one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning on Mac Shumann's fourth home run of the season.

Both teams scored once more in the eighth, with Ripon's run coming on a bases loaded walk, which was drawn by Alex Duros. That's all the runs they could muster however, falling 8-2 to the Green Knights.

Ripon was led by Shumann's two hits on the day, while Nate Paul, Brett Wegner, and Scott Gillespie were the only other Red Hawks with base hits. Adam Linsmeyer (4-1) pitched effectively for five innings, but finished the game with six earned runs on five hits in 5.1 innings of work.

The Red Hawk's season is far from over, as they'll be involved in the Midwest Conference Tournament this weekend. Their first game will be on Friday against tournament host, Knox College.