Box Score

BELOIT, Wis. – For the first time in 14 years, the Ripon College baseball team will not be a part of the Midwest Conference Tournament. The Red Hawks lost 4-3 to Beloit College Monday afternoon in a one-game playoff to determine the second and final seed in the MWC North Division. The game was a nail-biter from the beginning, with the Buccaneers scoring the winning run with one out in the bottom of the ninth, sending them to the conference tournament for the first time since 1995.

Beloit (25-7) broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the first when a sac fly scored Mike Kovach. The Buccaneers added another run the following inning when Kovach drove in a run when he reached base on a fielder's choice.

The Red Hawks (18-15) scored their first run in the fourth when Brett Wegner led the inning off with a home run. Beloit added one more run in the fifth when Kovach scored on a ground out, but Ripon got that back the following inning when Nick Beaman led the inning off with his team-leading eighth home run.

Trailing 3-2 in the top of the eighth inning, Beaman hit a lead-off single. The Red Hawks would later load the bases thanks to a double from Aaron Kastner and a walk by Nick Whitty. Beaman would eventually score the tying run on a fielder's choice, but that's all Ripon would get, as they stranded two runners on base.

The Red Hawks were retired in order in the following inning, which put the pressure on Beloit in the bottom of the ninth. Senior Mike Lloyd got the lead-off batter to fly out, but Kovach followed with a single and scored one batter later when Scott Slubowski doubled, giving the Buccaneers the victory.

Lloyd (4-4) suffered the loss, despite allowing just three hits in 3.1 innings of relief. Wegner, Beaman and Kastner were the only Red Hawks with hits, each recording two base knocks.

Beloit was led by Kovach's 3-for-4 performance, which saw him score three of the Buccaneer's four runs. Ryan Schmitz (3-0) picked up the win, allowing one run on two hits in four innings of relief.