May 8, 2008

Box Score

Photos

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - Once the playoffs roll around, you can throw all the records and statistics out the window, as any team can win on any given day. The Red Hawks proved that to be true for the first three innings, standing toe-to-toe with third-ranked St. Thomas (MN) at Thursday's NCAA Regional. Ripon and St. Thomas were each scoreless in the first three frames, until the Tommies broke the game open with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth, en route to an 8-0 victory in the first game of the double-elimination tournament.

St. Thomas pitcher Maria Bye proved why she is one of the best pitchers in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), combining with Marta Radcliffe to throw a no-hitter, which improves Bye's season record to

20-0. Even with that performance on the mound, Ripon hung around, turning away St. Thomas' first scoring bid in the fourth inning when Mary Friend gunned down a runner at the plate with a throw from center field to keep the game scoreless. That tie would be broken on the very next at-bat however, when Morgan Betker doubled to left. St. Thomas (41-3) added another run later in the fourth on an RBI double by Olivia Graham.

The Tommies offense began clicking in the fifth inning, which was led off by a double. The next batter singled, which set the table for Bye, who crushed a three-run home run over the left field fence, giving her 12 homers this season. Betker followed that with a solo shot for a 6-0 Tommie lead. The game was ended in the sixth, with

St. Thomas' third home run of the day, a two-run shot by Colleen Owen.

The Red Hawks (20-13) managed three base runners in the game, two on walks, and the other reaching on an error. Andrea Knorr (13-9) took the loss, despite pitching three scoreless innings. She allowed two runs on five hits in 3.1 innings of work. She also struck out two batters, giving her 96 strikeouts this year, which breaks the school record for most strikeouts in a single season.

Ripon try to get their first NCAA playoff win on Friday, as they'll face the loser of Thursday's Illinois Wesleyan/Simpson (IA) contest. Friday's game will begin at 12:00 p.m.