St. Norbert Suffers Critical Sweep at Ripon - Will Miss MWC Tournament

From Sports Information Director, May 7, 2011 | Baseball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

RIPON - St. Norbert College was swept in a Midwest Conference North Division doubleheader at Ripon College's Francis Field by scores of 5-2 and 7-3.

The Green Knights (14-15, 8-6 MWC) will miss the Midwest Conference Tournament for the first time since 2001 and only the second time since 1993. Ripon (17-15, 11-3 MWC) needs to sweep St. Norbert Sunday to clinch hosting duties for the league tournament.

St. Norbert mustered just four hits in the opener and had only eight hits and three errors in the nightcap. The Green Knights took the lead in the opener on a Jared Yost sacrifice fly, but the Red Hawks scored single runs in the second and fifth innings. St. Norbert retied the game at 2-2 on a Garrick Fisher RBI single in the sixth, but Ripon scored twice in the sixth and once in the seventh to put the game away.

Josh Honzik took the loss for St. Norbert, allowing 11 hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Jason Wierschke picked up the win for Ripon, allowing four hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Ripon took the early lead in the nightcap with two runs ni the second, but Ryan Kehl and Jordan Powers had RBI singles in the third to tie the game at 2-2. Ripon answered with four runs in the fourth and one in the sixth for a 7-2 lead. St. Norbert got its final run in the eighth inning on a Chad Ljunggren RBI single.

Fisher, Ljunggren and Nick Pierre were all 2-for-4 for St. Norbert, with Pierre adding a double. Chris Hillesheim took the loss for the Green Knights, allowing 13 hits in 5 1/3 innings.