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RIPON, Wis. - In what was pretty much a make or break series for Ripon's season, the Red Hawks made sure it didn't break. They defeated Lawrence University 2-1 in dramatic fashion in game one, before disposing of them more easily in the second game, 6-2.
Lawrence wasted no time getting on the board, scoring in the top of the first. The inning was led off by a Jenna Reichel single. Reichel then advanced to second on an error and moved up one more base on a wild pitch, putting her on third with no outs. After a walk and a pop out, Reichel crossed the plate on a ground out by Alex Goodson.
That's about all the offense fans would see for the next six innings. Ripon collected six hits in the game, but none came at the opportune time...until the bottom of the seventh. The inning was started when Bethany Mehlberg reached first on an error by the Lawrence shortstop. She would be out on a fielder's choice one batter later, but Jolene Shady was safe at first. The first Ripon fireworks came two batters later, proving that it's better late than never. On the first pitch of her at-bat, Natalie Geenen belted her fifth home run of the season over the leftfield wall, a two-out walk-off homer, giving the Red Hawks the much needed win.
Geenen used that momentum that ended game one to begin game two off with a bang. The sophomore shortstop nearly led the second contest off with a home run, as she doubled off the centerfield wall. Geenen advanced to third on a wild pitch, and would score two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Jen Mueller. The Vikings then scored two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning on a Goodson single up the middle, taking their only lead of the game.
Ripon would tie the game in the second, as Shady scored on a wild pitch with two-out in the inning. The Red Hawks then took the lead back for good the following inning, scoring twice more. Jackie Reichhart came up clutch with a two-out single, scoring two runs, and giving Ripon a 4-2 lead. Ripon tacked on two more insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning, including another RBI hit by Reichhart, this time a triple, to put the game out of reach and move into second place all by themselves in the MWC North Division.
The Red Hawks hope to keep the wins coming this weekend. They'll travel to Carroll College Saturday for a doubleheader with the Pioneers, before finishing their regular season with a home doubleheader against Beloit. Both double-dips are scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.
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