APPLETON, Wis. – A dramatic walk-off home run highlighted the first day of the Midwest Conference Tournament on Friday, as the University of Chicago baseball team defeated Ripon College 16-14 and lost to Lawrence University 6-1.

The Maroons ran their record to 22-15. They will continue action on Saturday morning in the double-elimination tournament hosted by Lawrence.

Game One – UChicago 16, Ripon 14

A wild game one featured a combined 30 runs on 27 hits and eight errors. Only the second inning did not have a run being scored by one of the teams.

UChicago took its first lead 2-1 in the bottom of the third inning. Sophomore Truman Pierson recorded an RBI sacrifice fly, followed by senior Brett Riegler's RBI double to left center. After Ripon took the advantage back with two in the top of the fourth, the Maroons responded immediately with two in the bottom of the frame. First-years Jack Goldstein and Josh Peyton each drove in a run with a double and single, respectively.

The Red Hawks got on a roll from there, scoring five in the fifth, two in the sixth, one in the seventh and three in the eighth. UChicago got an RBI single from sophomore Noah Nelson in the fifth, but the squad was playing catch up the rest of the way and trailed 11-5 in the seventh inning.

However, the Maroons came roaring back to tie the game up with a huge rally in the seventh. The first five batters of the inning reached base, which included a bases-loaded RBI walk drawn by Nelson. After a pitching change, first-year Jackson Slipock plated two with a single to center. Peyton produced a run-scoring sacrifice fly, while Riegler's single and a fielding error on the same play knotted the score at 11-11.

Three unearned runs bit UChicago in the top of the eighth. But once again, the Maroons proved tough to put away and tallied two more of their own. Sophomore Dominick Angellotti cracked an RBI double to left center and soon scored on Slipock's sacrifice fly.

It all came down to the bottom of the ninth inning. Trailing 14-13, UChicago was able to coax a pair of walks with one out. That set up Richard Lu to play the hero. The rookie outfielder slammed a three-run homer over the left field fence to win the game 16-14.

The box score for UChicago included 14 hits and four errors. Nelson led the way by going 3-for-4 with two RBI. Slipock went 2-for-3 with three RBI. Riegler batted 2-for-4 with two RBI and two walks. Peyton hit 2-for-5 with two RBI and a stolen base.

Sophomore starting pitcher Drew Bryan went five innings on the mound. He allowed three earned runs with three walks while striking out eight. Junior Matthew Guyton (0.2 IP, 2 R), first-year Kirk Waller (1 IP, 1 R) and sophomore Dean Casey (0.1 IP) made relief appearances. Junior Hayden Brotz (2-1 record) earned the win in two innings pitched – he recorded one earned run to go with two walks and two strikeouts.

Game Two – Lawrence 6, UChicago 1

Unfortunately, the hot bats in game one did not carry over to the afternoon contest against Lawrence. UChicago finished with seven hits but did not score until the top of the ninth. Riegler doubled down the left field line to lead off the inning and came in on Angellotti's single to center.

Lawrence's offensive output was limited to the bottom of the sixth when the Vikings tallied six unearned runs. First-year Ethan Docter (0.2 IP, 2 K) took the loss to fall to 3-1 on the season.

Junior Dylan White was effective on the mound in his five-inning start. His scoreless outing featured five hits, two walks and six strikeouts. Casey (1.1 IP) and Waller (1 IP, 2 K) made their second appearances of the day.

NEXT GAME:

• Saturday, May 14 @ 9:00 AM – UChicago vs. Ripon College (at Appleton, Wis.)