BELOIT, Wis. - Beloit's baseball team remained undefeated atop the Midwest Conference standings Thursday afternoon, extending their current winning streak to 10 games in the process, which is the longest such streak since winning 15 consecutive games during the 2009 season. The Buccaneers defeated Ripon College 9-5 to gain some breathing room in the conference standings.

Ripon (9-9, 5-3 MWC) got the scoring started in the first inning on RBI singles by Kyler Hickman and Remington Cox, but that lead wouldn't last long, as Beloit (14-5, 8-0 MWC) matched that with two in the bottom of the first thanks to an RBI single by Connor Vogel and a run-scoring double off the bat of Brett Kiger.

Evan Zenger then gave the Bucs their first lead of the day in the fourth with a solo homer over the right field wall, Beloit's first of three long-balls on the day. Devin Irwin and Matt O'Leary also each drove in a run that inning to give Beloit a 5-2 advantage. Ripon tied the score in the following inning, but a solo home run by Connor Vogel in the bottom of the fifth gave  Beloit the lead for good, while Tyler Hoover added an RBI single later in that frame.

Beloit added two insurance runs in the sixth on Brett Kiger's conference-leading eighth home run of the season, tying his own single season school record, which he set in 2021, along with fellow senior Matt O'Leary.

The Buccaneers finished the game with 13 hits, including two apiece from O'Leary, Vogel, Kiger, and Irwin. Aiden Phipps (5-0) remained perfect on the year, as he has won every start he has made this season. Phipps struck out five Red Hawks on the day. Harvey Pena earned his team-leading third save of the 2023 campaign, allowing just one hit in four scoreless innings of relief, while striking out three without issuing a walk.

Ripon finished with nine hits, led by two apiece from Hickman and Cox. Brock Warren (1-2) suffered the loss, allowing six earned runs on 10 hits in five innings of work.

Beloit will hope to extend their winning streak on Saturday when these same two teams will play a doubleheader. That twinbill will begin at Noon at Francis Field in Ripon, Wis.