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RIPON, Wis. - Both games of Sunday's doubleheader between the Red Hawks and Green Knights were in doubt until the final innings. St. Norbert came through in the clutch in game one, winning 4-3 in eight innings, while Ripon was the team that rallied in game two, winning 4-2 to earn a split in the series.
Ripon (12-10, 3-1 MWC) took control of the first game early, getting on the board once in the third, and again in the fourth. Krista Shafer singled the first run of the game home, while sophomore catcher Jessica Goudreau doubled Ripon's lead with the first home run of her career.
St. Norbert (14-11, 6-2 MWC) cut Ripon's lead in half during the top of the fifth inning when Beth Colletti scored on a ground out. The Green Knights took their first lead of the game the following inning, thanks to a two-RBI double by Jes Van Hout, giving SNC a 3-2 advantage.
The Red Hawks grabbed some of that momentum back in the bottom of the seventh. After the first two batters recorded outs, Shafer ripped a double to center, which was followed by a double by Jackie Reichhart, tying the game at three and sending it into extra innings.
In the extra frame, St. Norbert wasted no time, as Lindsey Reynolds sent the ball over the right centerfield wall for a one-out solo home run, putting SNC in the lead for good.
Ripon had five players with multi-hit games, including Natalie Geenen, Andrea Knorr, Shafer, Reichhart, and Goudreau. Knorr (9-6) pitched her third consecutive complete game, allowing two earned runs, while striking out four.
The second game turned out to be just as close as the first, in what was a see-saw battle. St. Norbert took the first lead of the game, scoring in the first inning on an RBI double by Reynolds. Ripon would get that run back in the second, thanks to a Megan Sockness single up the middle, which scored Goudreau from third. That lead wouldn't last long however, as St. Norbert took a 2-1 lead on a throwing error, which allowed Sam Boushley to score.
After a couple scoreless innings, Ripon's bats took over in the sixth inning. Sockness again came through in the clutch, driving in Goudreau from second with another single up the middle to tie the game. She would score one batter later when Abby Richeson doubled to center, giving Ripon the lead. Geenen gave the Red Hawks an insurance run in the seventh, crushing her fifth home run of the season, to preserve the series split.
Geenen and Goudreau led all players in the second game, with three hits. Bethany Mehlberg added two base knocks of her own, while Sockness went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Brittany Peotter (3-3) picked up the win thanks to a complete game six-hitter, in which she struck out seven batters.
Ripon will now get ready for another conference doubleheader on Wednesday, as they'll travel to Lawrence University to face the Vikings. The first game is set for 3:00 p.m. in Appleton, Wis.
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