APPLETON, Wis. -- The Ripon College baseball team escaped two big jams in the first game and then rallied to win the second game and sweep a Midwest Conference doubleheader from Lawrence University on Saturday at Don Hawkins Field.
Ripon won the opener 11-8 and took the nightcap 6-4.
Nick Beaman went 4-for-5 with a homer and three runs batted in in the opener to pace Ripon (6-8, 3-1 MWC). Jason Wierschke pitched five innings, allowing six hits, to pick up the win.
The game turned for the Red Hawks in the fifth. Ripon led 6-2, but Lawrence loaded the bases with no outs. Ripon got a 1-2-3 double play and escaped without Lawrence scoring.
The Red Hawks pushed the lead to 11-2 before Lawrence scored six times in the bottom of the eighth. Lawrence had only three hits in the inning but took advantage of four walks and an error in the inning. Frank Forseth had a big two-run double in the inning, but Ripon got another 1-2-3 double play with the bases loaded to limit further damage.
Forseth went 3-for-5 with two doubles and drove in two runs to pace the Vikings (4-9, 1-3) in the opener. Ben Konetzke went 6.1 innings and took the loss.
Jordan Clark's two-run single in the bottom of the fourth helped Lawrence build a 3-1 lead in the nightcap.
Ripon got runs in the fifth and the eighth to tie the game, but Lawrence had runners at first and second with no outs in the bottom of eighth. Ripon reliever Wes Kraemer got two strikeouts and a fly ball to escape the threat.
Ripon then scored three times in the top of the ninth to take a 6-3 lead. Chucky Schara hit a two-run homer, his second of the game, to highlight the rally. Wes Otte homered for Lawrence in the bottom of the ninth to complete the scoring.
Andy Frelich went the distance for Lawrence and took the loss. He struck out seven and didn't walk a batter.