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TAMPA, Fla. - The theme for the games on Ripon's spring trip seem to be fall behind early, then fall just short of the comeback. That never rang more true than Thursday afternoon. The Red Hawks lost a pair of one-run games, losing the first game to Mount St. Joseph (OH) 6-5, before dropping the second, 10-9.
MSJ jumped on Ripon early, scoring a run in the first inning, and three more in the third. Their third inning was highlighted by a two-run homrun to right center, which scored two. Ripon matched them in the bottom half of the third, as the Red Hawks scored three runs of their own. They also used a longball to get on the board. Chad Olson hit the first home run of the season by any Red Hawk, belting a three-run homer to get Ripon back into the game.
Mount St. Joseph pulled away again in the top of the fifth inning, as they scored two runs to take a three-run lead. That was countered once again by the Red Hawks, who scored two more runs in the bottom of the inning, thanks to RBIs by Kyle McFarland and Chevy Schultz. Both teams were held in check after that, each allowing just one hit the rest of the way.
Schultz recorded a game-high three hits in the losing effort. Chad Olson was the only other Red Hawk with multiple hits, garnering two, while scoring two runs, to go along with his three RBI. Greg Basthemer pitched all seven innings for the Red Hawks, allowing five earned runs on eight hits, while striking out six.
Mount St. Joseph jumped on Ripon early again in game two, scoring two in the second and once more in the third. Ripon answered with five runs in the fourth inning, taking their first lead of the day. The inning was highlighted by four Red Hawks reaching safely, including RBI doubles by Mac Shumann and Brandan Birschbach.
That lead was short-lived. Mount St. Joseph scored four times in the bottom of the fourth to take a 7-5 lead. As they did all day, Ripon had an answer for that, as they saw two men come around to score in the fifth, tying the game. The see-saw battle continued with MSJ nudging ahead with an run in the bottom of the fifth.
The top of the sixth inning was started with MSJ walking the first two Ripon batters. They would pay for that mistake, as both Birschbach and Olson scored on Schultz's double to right centerfield, giving Ripon yet another lead. MSJ woudn't go away though, scoring the tying run in the bottom of the sixth. After Ripon failed to score in the seventh, MSJ took full advantage. After a one-out triple put the winning run 90 feet from the plate, MSJ connected on a walk-off single, completing the sweep of the Red Hawks.
Shumann was the only Red Hawk with multiple hits, recording two. He also added two RBI, while Schultz and Bo Johnson also knocked in two runs. Bryant Bullock took the loss for the Red Hawks, pitching 2.2 innings of relief, while allowing three runs on five hits and striking out two.
Ripon will wrap up their Florida trip Friday afternoon. The Red Hawks will take on Framingham State (MA) in a doubleheader at Fest Field in Odessa, Fla. The first game is scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. EST.
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