GALESBURG, Illinois - The Knox College softball dropped both games of their last doubleheader of the season to Ripon College 3-2 and 9-1.

Game one had the Red Hawks on the board first after bringing in a run off a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second inning. Maddie Hicks quickly responded for the Prairie Fire with a single to right field, bringing in Maya McEwen home. After excellent defense from both the Prairie Fire and Red Hawks, both teams maintained their 1-1 scoreline for the next eight and a half innings. Finally, Knox broke the deadlock with a Liv Dunn single, bringing Morgan Bean home. Unfortunately for the Prairie Fire, the Red Hawks took the game with a walk-off double to end the game in the 11th inning.

Game two saw Ripon score four runs in the first three innings to start the game. Knox responded by bringing in a run in the top of the fourth inning off a single to left field from Alycea Burnett. The Prairie Fire desperately looked for a comeback but the Red Hawks ultimately put the game to rest with three runs in the sixth inning to end the game. 

Senior Maya McEwen led the way for the Prairie Fire this afternoon with five hits through both games. 

"Overall, a very good day for us," said coach Casey Hipp. "A very tough well-played first game and I'm proud of the team for staying in it for eleven innings. Lost a little energy in game two, but not a bad day to wrap up our '24 season. Proud of this team today and every other day, they showed a lot of heart all season and battled against a lot of adversity and did so with a commendable amount of grace," added Hipp.

Hats off to a great season from the Knox College softball team who played with heart, grit, and determination every single game. A big thank you to our seniors Alycea Burnett, Maya McEwen, and Londyn Nelson for their strong dedication and hard work on and off the field for the Prairie Fire softball program.