WAUKESHA, Wis. - The Carroll University baseball team defeated Ripon College 12-0 in a seven-inning nonconference game between former Midwest Conference rivals at Frame Park on Wednesday afternoon.
It was the second consecutive home-field victory of the early season for Carroll, which showed its resilience by bouncing back from a difficult road loss and improved to 2-1 overall.
The Pioneers, who were powered by a strong 14-hit offensive attack, have combined for 40 hits in their first three games.
Junior third baseman Benton Holly went 3-for-4 with a home run for Carroll, which finished with seven extra-base hits in the contest (including three homers, two doubles and two triples). Senior first baseman Mitchell Massino and junior catcher Trevor Benz each contributed two hits with a homer and three RBIs.
Senior right fielder Alec Honickel followed with two hits and two RBIs and senior shortstop Brad Vosters had two hits and drove in one run.
The Pioneers scored three runs on three hits in what proved to be a decisive bottom of the first inning on an RBI single by Honickel, an RBI triple from Massino and and a run-scoring groundout by junior left fielder Justin Baker.
Carroll extended its lead to 5-0 in the second on a solo homer by Holly followed by an RBI groundout by senior designated hitter Dylan Callahan. 
The Pioneers added four runs in the third, powered on a three-run homer by Benz and an RBI groundout from Vosters.
Massino hit a two-run homer in the fourth and Honickel added an RBI groundout in the fifth to round out the scoring for the Pioneers, who turned in an error-free defense performance.
Sophomore right-hander Ben Ellifson pitched a three-hit shutout with two strikeouts and no walks through the opening three innings to earn his first victory of the 2021 season.
Junior left-hander Alan Spurley followed with three scoreless innings on three hits and junior right-hander Drew McDermid yielded just one hit in finishing with an unblemished seventh.
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