MILLINGTON, Tenn. – The Westfield State baseball team wrapped up its seven-game spring break slate of games this afternoon, losing to Ripon College 9-4 from USA Stadium Complex in Millington, Tenn.
The Owls fall to 2-6 on the year while Ripon improves to 4-5.
Westfield got off to a quick start in the top half of the opening frame with Alex Martin (Shrewsbury, Mass.) beginning the game with a bunt single. Robison Guerrero Baez (Dominican Republic) followed with a sharply hit double down the left field line, putting two runners in scoring position right away.
Nick Marshall (Reading, Mass.) then drew a walk, loading the bases with nobody out. Dan Burnett (Granville, Mass.) kept the line moving with a single through the right side of the infield to plate Martin and give the Owls a 1-0 lead.
With one out in the inning, Devin Slattery (Ware, Mass.) chopped a ball down the third base line which allowed for Baez to score and double the Westfield lead to 2-0. Kyle Darby (South Windsor, Conn.) generated the Owls third and final run of the inning on a fielder's choice.
Ripon responded in the bottom half of the inning as the Owls defense committed a pair of errors which eventually allowed for Cormac Madigan (Rosendale, Wisc.) to come around to score. Brock Warren (Wausau, Wisc.) then doubled to right field, scoring Cam Stampfl (Westfield, Wisc.) to shave the Owls lead to one run after an inning of play.
The Red Hawks tied the game and then took the lead in the bottom half of the third with Warren collecting his second RBI of the contest on a sacrifice fly to tie the game, 3-3. A two-out error from the Owls allowed for the Ripon bottom half to continue and the Red Hawks were able to capitalize for two additional runs off the bat of Kyler Hickman (Tracy, Calif.) who's two RBI single to left proved to be the game-winning runs.
The Westfield bats went quiet in the middle innings of the game as the Owls only had one baserunner in a six-inning span from the third to eighth.
Ripon gained some separation in the seventh inning after Remington Cox (Homewood, Ill.) connected on a two-run single to right to push the Red Hawks lead to four runs. Madigan registered a two-out RBI two batters later to give Ripon an 8-3 lead after seven frames.
Alex Pankratz (Waupaca, Wisc.) tacked on an additional run in the eighth inning for the Red Hawks after an RBI single to right field.
With two down in the ninth, Westfield managed to knock across a fourth run after Slattery kept the game alive with a single to right. Darby stepped to the plate next and doubled a ball down the right field line to score Slattery from first, but the game would end after that with Brock Turkington (Baraboo, Wisc.) closing the game out with a strikeout.
Warren got the start for the Red Hawks and settled in after a rocky first inning, allowing just two hits over the final six innings of his outing. He finished the day by picking up the win after tossing seven innings and giving up three runs on six hits with five strikeouts.
Ryan Lapierre (Pittsfield, Mass.) started on the mound for the Owls, lasting 5.1 innings while surrendering five runs (one earned) on eight hits. He was charged with the loss.
Westfield State will return back to Massachusetts in their next game as the Owls travel to Springfield College in a game that was originally scheduled earlier in the season on Tuesday, March 21 at 3:30 P.M.