Red Hawks edge Lawrence in pair of games

RIPON, Wis. — The Ripon College softball team hung on for a pair of Midwest Conference wins Monday over Lawrence University by the scores of 3-2 and 4-3.

The losses end the season for the Vikings (13-16, 6-7 MWC), who needed two wins to qualify for the Midwest Conference Tournament.

Lawrence grabbed the lead at the outset of the first game when Cathy Kaye led off the contest with a home run for a 1-0 edge.

Ripon (21-7, 10-3) made the most of its four hits against Lawrence starter Shannon Murray. The Red Hawks got run-scoring hits in the second and third and scored what proved to be the game-winning run on a squeeze bunt in the fifth.

Lawrence cut the lead to 3-2 in the seventh when Emily Perish doubled and scored on Alex Chiodo’s single. Kaye then flied out to end the game.

Stephanie Rieuwpassa went the distance to get the win. She allowed five hits, struck out eight and walked one. Murray took the loss despite allowing only two earned runs.

In the nightcap, Ripon jumped on Perish and scored three times despite hitting only one ball out of the infield.

Ripon led 4-0 when Kaye blasted a two-run homer in the fifth to cut the lead in half. The Vikings then trimmed the margin to 4-3 in the sixth when Chiodo delivered a run-scoring double.

That’s as close as the Vikings would get as Rieuwpassa came on in relief in the seventh and retired the side in order to pick up the save.

Game one box score

Game two box score