Softball Sweeps Ripon Saturday

Monmouth walks-off Red Hawks in opener

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (04/10/2022) — The Monmouth College softball team swept Ripon on Saturday, including a walk-off win in game one. The Scots are now 3-1 in Midwest Conference play and have a three-game winning streak.

Ripon scored in the top of the first in game one before the Scots answered in the bottom of the inning. Calista Warmowski (Spring Grove, Illinois) doubled and stole third before Madelyn Belville (Rushville, Illinois) walked. Belville broke for second and was thrown out but Warmowski scored to tie the game.

The Scots used errors to take the lead in the third. MyKenzie Kloess (Dupo, Illinois) singled and moved to second on an error. Allie Ramlo (Tremont, Illinois) singled and went to third on an error as Kloess scored. A groundout by Lillian Hucke (Aledo, Illinois) gave the Scots a 3-1 lead.

Ripon tied the game on a home run in the fifth and took the lead in the top of the seventh. With Ripon on top 5-3, Rebecca Merletti (Kenosha, Wisconsin) replaced Abby Leber (Tremont, Illinois) in the circle. Merletti got a foul out to end the inning with the Scots down two.

Warmowski reached on an error to start the seventh and she stole second. Belville reached on an error and Kloess doubled home Warmowski to cut the Ripon lead to 5-4. Ramlo delivered a two-run single to right-center to win the game 6-5, the Scots second walk-off win of the season.

Ripon took a 4-0 lead in game two with one run in the first inning and three runs in the second against Jenna Pauley (Moline, Illinois). Monmouth got on the board in the second inning as Biancha Luna (Monmouth, Illinois) singled with the bases loaded, scoring pinch-runner Alex Chamberlin (Canton, Illinois).

Down 4-1, Monmouth had a big third inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Luna doubled to the wall in left, scoring two. Warmowski singled to plate two more and give the Scots a 5-4 lead. Belville's single added another run and the Scots finished with a five-run inning and a 6-4 lead.

Ripon got it to 6-5 in the fourth before the Scots scored again in the fifth. With two on and two out, Ramlo doubled for an 8-5 lead. Ripon plated the last run of the game in the sixth before Anna McCarty (Buffalo, Illinois) stranded the bases loaded.

McCarty (1-2) earned the win with one run allowed in 3 2/3 innings. Warmowski scored four runs on the day with four hits while Kloess also had four hits on the day. Ramlo drove in five runs while Luna drove in three. The Scots will host Lawrence at 1 p.m. Sunday in a double header.