Green Knights Clinch MWC Tournament Berth With Ripon Split

From Sports Information Director, April 20, 2008 | Softball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

RIPON - St. Norbert College clinched a spot in the Midwest Conference Softball Championship with a doubleheader split with Ripon College at Tracy Field.

St. Norbert (14-11, 6-2 MWC) won the first game 4-3 in eight innings before Ripon (12-10, 3-1 MWC) rebounded to take the nightcap 4-2.

The Green Knights won the opener when Lindsey Reynolds socked a home run with one out in the top of the eighth. Ripon got the leadoff runner on in the bottom of the eight but could not advance her past first base.

Ripon led 2-0 before St. Norbert scored once in the fifth and twice in the sixth. Erin Pamperin had an RBI groundout for the run in the fifth, while Jes Van Hout stroked a two-run double in the sixth. Ripon then tied it with a two-out double in the seventh.

Mara Resch allowed 12 hits with one walk and two strikeouts to earn the win for St. Norbert. Tracy Palmer was 3-for-4, while Van Hout was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a pair of doubles.

St. Norbert led 2-1 after five innings in the nightcap but Ripon rallied with two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh to post the win. The Red Hawks had 14 hits to St. Norbert's six in the nightcap.

Reynolds, who was 2-for-3 in the nightcap, had an RBI double in the first inning, while Sam Boushley scored on an error in the third for the Green Knights' runs.

Kayla Krueger went 6 1/3 innings in taking the loss. Krueger allowed 12 hits and did not walk or strikeout a batter.