MILWAUKEE – The Alverno softball team hosted non-conference Ripon on Wednesday afternoon, falling to the visiting Red Hawks by the scores of 8-2 and 5-4 on the Alverno Softball Field.
 
Alverno led the second game heading to the seventh inning in game two, but a feisty Ripon squad rallied for two in the top of the seventh and was able to make the one-run lead stand to finish off the sweep.
 
Alverno was led by sophomore Lily Kostka on the day with five hits, including a pair of doubles while driving in a pair. Freshman Samantha Vinti also drove in two runs and scored one herself, as she had one double on the afternoon.
 
Sophomore Lexi Hess had a multi-hit afternoon with three on the day including one double, as she drove in one and scored her team-leading eighth run of the season. Hess, along with Kostka, each had a stolen base on the day as well. Sophomore Andrea Ramirez had a multi-hit day with two singles and also had a run while also leading the team with 11 defensive putouts at first base.
 
Three other Inferno had one hit apiece as senior Natalie Akin, and juniors Ashley Flores and Izzy Torres each had singles. Akin and Torres each had one run scored apiece. Junior Ziri Hernandez-Bustos also drew the lone walk of the afternoon for Alverno.
 
Akin got the start in the opener and allowed just two earned runs over seven innings of work with three strikeouts. In the second game, Torres struck out four batters as she yielded five runs over her sixth complete game of the season.
 
Game One
In the opener, Ripon took an early two-run lead in the top of the first, and added on with three more in the third and another run to take a six-run lead in the top of the fourth.
 
During Alverno's second time through the batting order, Hess reached on an error and moved up to second on the play. She then stole third and scored on a double by Vinti, as the freshman picked up her first college run batted in. Kostka then singled to put runners on the corners, and as Kostka stole second, Vinti raced home on an error to score the second Inferno run.
 
Ripon tacked on an insurance run in the fifth, and regained its six-run lead in the seventh to close out the opener by an 8-2 score.
 
Game Two
Ripon took an early two-run advantage in the top of the first inning in game two. Hess doubled to lead off the bottom of the first but was stranded in scoring position.
 
Torres stranded a pair in the top of the second, to send the Inferno up to bat in the bottom of the frame. Kostka led off with a first-pitch single but was erased on a fielder's choice by Ramirez. Flores reached on a bloop infield single, before Hernandez-Bustos walked to load the bases. Hess came up and singled up the middle to chase home Ramirez with the first Alverno run.
 
Down by one the Inferno came back up to bat in the bottom of the third as Torres reached on a one-out error, before moving around to third on a pair of wild pitches. Kostka doubled to chase home the tying run to even the score at two heading into the fourth.
 
After working around a two-out walk, Alverno came up to bat again as Hernandez-Bustos was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and was erased on a fielder's choice by Hess. Akin then singled on the first pitch she saw before Vinti plated a run as she reached on an error allowing Hess to score. Two batters later, Kostka singled again to plate Akin and put Alverno ahead by a 4-2 score.
 
The Red Hawks pulled back within one with a solo home run in the top of the fifth, before the bottom of the Alverno order went down 1-2-3 in the fifth.
 
As the game progressed to the seventh, the Red Hawks led off the frame with a double before the next two were retired. The next batter walked to put the go-ahead run on base, before back-to-back singles put the Red Hawks up 5-4.
 
Torres singled to lead off the last chance for the Inferno and Ramirez reached two batters later to put a pair on with one down. However, the Red Hawks ended the game on a ground ball double play to escape with the win.
 
Alverno (0-24, 0-18 NACC) is scheduled to return to play NACC Competition on Saturday, when the team hosts Rockford for a 12 p.m. first pitch on the Alverno Softball Field.