GALESBURG, Ill. — The Knox softball team was looking to begin with a clean slate with the start of Midwest Conference play on Saturday afternoon in its home-opening doubleheader against Ripon College. But the visiting Red Hawks (4-14, 2-0 MWC) had other ideas and took both games from the Prairie Fire (0-21, 0-2 MWC) at Knox Softball Field, 8-5 and 12-0.
Ripon opened both contests by scoring two runs in the top of the first, but in the first game, Knox fired right back with two of its own on a two-run triple off the bat of senior co-captain Maddie Poetzinger. In the second, the Red Hawks got one of those tallies back then put up four more in the fourth.
Junior Kylie Thomson singled home a Prairie Fire run in the fifth, which Ripon matched in the sixth. But in the bottom of the seventh, Knox had a chance to overcome the five-run deficit, scoring twice on a Taylor Goudschaal single that also brought the tying run to the plate with two down. Reliever Ashlynn Donahue bore down, however, and recorded the final out to preserve the 8-5 victory for starter Brooklyn Cooper (2-4), earning her first save in the process.
Sophomore Charlie Davison (0-10) was saddled with the loss, allowing seven runs, six earned, over three innings in the circle. Sophomore Janet Lentini made her season debut, coming out of the bullpen to surrender just one run over the last four frames.
Fifth-year Haylee Carpenter led Knox's 11-hit attack with three singles, scoring three times as well, but it was no match for Ripon's 17 hits as all but one starter had at least one hit.
The second game belonged to the Red Hawks' Alayna Sadowska, who twirled a two-hit shutout, walking three and striking out four along the way while throwing 80 pitches. Only one runner reached second base, and that came in the first inning when she walked the first two batters. But a double play helped her escape the jam and she never faced serious trouble again.
Following Ripon's two-run double in the first, three more crossed the plate in the third and another in the fourth before blowing the game wide open with a six-run seventh.
Again the Red Hawks collected 17 hits, including a perfect 4-for-4 performance with four RBIs from Ashlyn Schultz who was a homer shy of the cycle.
Lentini (0-1) got the decision for Knox, yielding three earned runs over 3.1 innings.
The Prairie Fire returns to their home field tomorrow, April 6, for Senior Day with Lawrence University (5-13, 0-0 MWC) in town for a doubleheader at 1 p.m. The six seniors and fifth-years will be honored following the conclusion of the first contest, and all the action and the ceremony will be streamed live through PrairieFire.Knox.edu, the official website of Knox Athletics.
