The Ripon Tigers will head out to face off against the Kettle Moraine Lutheran Chargers at 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Ripon will be strutting in after a win while Kettle Moraine Lutheran will be coming in after a defeat.
Ripon took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They put the hurt on Randolph with a sharp 11-1 victory. With that win, the Tigers brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Addisyn Johnson made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Johnson was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI. That double was her first of the season.
In other batting news, Ripon let Bryn Carlson and Bella Klettke run wild. Carlson went 2-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Klettke went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. That's the most runs Klettke has posted since back in April of 2024. Lily Kwakkel was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one run and one double.
Ripon kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are 2-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Kettle Moraine Lutheran came up short against Waupun on Thursday and fell 5-1. The game marked the Chargers' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Kettle Moraine Lutheran saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brooklyn Luehring, who went 1-for-2 with one run and one double.
This is the second loss in a row for Kettle Moraine Lutheran and nudges their season record down to 7-4. As for Ripon, with the victory, they broke their six-game losing streak and moved their record to 4-9.
Tuesday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Ripon hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .325. However, it's not like Kettle Moraine Lutheran struggles in that department as they've averaged .357. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Ripon suffered a grim 9-1 defeat to Kettle Moraine Lutheran in their previous matchup on April 3rd. Can the Tigers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
