Box Score RIPON, Wis. (WLCSports.com) - The Wisconsin Lutheran College baseball team dropped a non-conference battle on the road against Ripon, 13-7, Thursday afternoon at Francis Field. The Red Hawks pounded out 20 hits in the contest, including eight extra-base hits.
THE BASICS
- Final Score: Ripon 13, Wisconsin Lutheran 7
- Records: Wisconsin Lutheran (9-20), Ripon (8-15)
- Location: Francis Field, Ripon, Wis.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- Ripon got on the board early with a two-out rally in the first to plate a run.
- Brannigan Hart (Davie, Fla.) knotted the game up at 1-1 with his first career homerun in the second inning to deep left centerfield.
- Another two-out rally in the second inning provided two runs for the hosts to give them a 3-1 lead after two complete.
- The Warriors took the lead in the third with a three-run frame. Jayson Walczak-Zelem (Oak Creek, Wis.) doubled to deep center and later scored on a KJ Banse (Racine, Wis.) sacrifice fly. Curtis Engelbrecht (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) plated two more with a double to the right centerfield gap in his return to the Warriors lineup.
- RC reclaimed the lead with a two-run frame in the bottom half of the third.
- Walczak-Zelem knotted the game up the next inning with a sacrifice fly in foul territory to plate Jake Constien (Sun Prairie, Wis.).
- Ripon took the lead for good in the fourth with a five-run frame, highlighted by a long homerun by Michael Barnes.
- The Red Hawks added another solo tally in the fifth with a double down the left field line by Keegan Johnston.
- The Warriors chipped away with a two-run inning in the seventh off an RBI double from Engelbrecht and a triple from Hart.
- Ripon responded with two of its own in the bottom half of the frame, extending the lead to 13-7.
- Jacob Kopplin (Rowlett, Texas) suffered the loss, allowing four earned runs in relief.
- Wisconsin Lutheran recorded 12 hits, led by three from Hart who was a double shy from the cycle.
- Engelbrecht had two doubles and three RBIs in his first game of the season, and Walczak-Zelem contributed two hits.
FOR THE FOES
- Chris Huettner earned his first win on the mound, allowing five earned runs in 7.0 innings.
- Three different Red Hawks recorded three hits, paced by Barnes who had two homeruns and five RBIs.
UP NEXT
- The Warriors open an important weekend of NACC play with a road trip Saturday to Rockford (13-15, 7-4 NACC). First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Rivets Stadium. Live stats and video will be available for both games at WLCSports.com.
