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De PERE, Wis. - Thursday's doubleheader at St. Norbert was just about as close as a pair of games can get. The Red Hawks dropped the first game 3-2 in 9 innings, but gave the Green Knights a taste of their own medicine, winning the second game 10-9.
Ripon (11-9, 4-3) struck first, as their bats came alive early. Jen Mueller tripled to lead off the top of the second, and she would come around to score one batter later on a double by Jackie Reichhart. The Red Hawks would extend their lead in the fifth on a Joelle Shady single, which scored Bethany Mehlberg from second base.
Mueller had a shutout going on the mound, until the sixth inning when St. Norbert (11-8, 5-2) would even the score thanks to a pair of Red Hawk errors. The Green Knights would score their first run on a steal of home plate. They would eventually tie the game on one of the two Ripon miscues.
Both teams would hold each other for the next couple innings, as Ripon experienced extra innings for the first time all year. It didn't end as they had hoped however, with St. Norbert smacking a one-out single for the winning run.
The second game had a completely different feel to it, as both offenses were on display. Ripon struck first again in game two, scoring a run in the first on a Mueller RBI single, which scored Tara Rabideaux. That lead didn't last, after St. Norbert scored four runs in both the third and fourth inning to take an 8-1 lead.
Ripon was undeterred however, as they would have their biggest inning of the season to date in the bottom of the fourth, scoring seven runs to tie the game. The rally was started with three straight singles by Stephanie Sumner, Shady, and Sara Rabideaux to load the bases. Natalie Geenen then plated two on a double. Tara Rabideaux would follow that with an RBI single, which was followed by a walk, and another 2 RBI double, this time by Mueller, all before the first out was recorded. After Krista Shafer scored on a wild pitch, Sara Rabideaux tied things up with a single, scoring Mueller from third.
Two innings later, Ripon's offense would be at it again, taking the lead for good. Geenen continued her hot hitting as of late, blasting another two-run double to give Ripon a 10-8 lead. The Green Knights would get one run in the seventh, but it wouldn't be enough. Ripon pulls to within one game of St. Norbert in the Midwest Conference standings with the game two victory.
The Red Hawks will take a break from conference play on Sunday when they'll travel to Carthage College for a doubleheader. The first game is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.
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