Green Knights Gain Split With Red Hawks

From Asst. AD/Athletics Communications, April 2, 2019 | Softball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - St. Norbert College rallied late in the second game to pick up a split of a key Midwest Conference doubleheader with Ripon College, winning the nightcap 7-6 after a 2-0 loss in the opener at Miron Construction Field at Mel Nicks Sports Complex.

The Green Knights faced a 6-5 deficit in the fifth inning while facing Ripon ace Lexi Reetz. The Green Knights tied the game in the fifth inning when Randi Morack singled with two outs and then scored on Ashley Zimmerman's double to the right-center field gap. St. Norbert pushed ahead in the sixth inning when Carley Frauenhoff singled with two outs. Alyssa Sikora then doubled to left field, and Frauenhoff was able to score when the return throw to the infield was offline. St. Norbert's Emma Molenhouse then worked a clean seventh inning to seal the win.

Ripon led 4-0 before St. Norbert scored three times in the second inning. St. Norbert, which got its first run when Taylor Ullman scored on the back end of a double-steal attempt, hit three consecutive triples with two outs to score two runs. Allison Knop, Brianna Braeger and Whitney Baumann all found the gaps to bring St. Norbert to within a run. The Red Hawks scored once in the third inning before St. Norbert tied it 5-5 with two runs in the third inning on Sarah Koltermann's two-run home run. Ripon would score a run in the top of the fifth inning to briefly retake the lead.

St. Norbert had 12 hits in the game, with Braeger going 3-for-4. Morack and ZImmerman were all 2-for-3.

Molenhouse retired all nine hitters she faced to seal the win.

In the opener, St. Norbert took a tough loss in a pitchers' duel between Molenhouse and Reetz. Ripon scored its two runs on a two-out, two-run single by Cortney Bols in the fourth inning. The Green Knights' best scoring chance came with two runners in scoring position in the sixth inning.

Frauenhoff and Ullman were both 2-for-3 and Braeger was 2-for-4.

Molenhouse allowed six hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Reetz scattered six hits with one walk and four strikeouts.