GRINNELL, Iowa - Ripon's first conference games of the 2016 season didn't go as planned Saturday afternoon, as the Red Hawks lost at Grinnell College by scores of 6-4 and 11-10 in a pair of games that were each highly competitive.

The first game began with Grinnell (12-7, 4-0 MWC) breaking a scoreless tie with two runs in the bottom of the first. The Pioneers doubled their lead with two more runs in the third, before Ripon (0-14, 0-2 MWC) finally got on the board in the top of the fourth on an RBI double by Kaylee Arendt. The Red Hawks cut Grinnell's lead to one in the sixth when they scored two runs on one hit and three Grinnell errors. That would be as close as Ripon would get, as Grinnell added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth.

Ripon finished with 10 hits, with three coming from Andie Winters and two apiece off the bat of Arendt and Melanie Kobelt. Lexi Reetz (0-4) suffered the loss, but struck out three batters in her six innings.

In the day's second game, Ripon was the team that struck first, scoring seven runs on seven hits and two Grinnell errors in the top of the second inning. The big blow came off the bat of Kobelt, who drove in three runs with a double to center field. Teara Morgenroth, Teara Morgenroth and Tene Robinson also drove in one run apiece in the inning.

Grinnell answered with six runs of their own in the bottom of the second, but Ripon scored twice more in the third, both coming on a Winters double to center. After Grinnell scored once in the fourth, Ripon added another run on a single by Kobelt. Entering the bottom of the seventh with a three-run lead, Ripon proceeded to allow four runs on four hits, as Grinnell won the game on an RBI single to center with one out.

Ripon finished the game with a season-best 15 hits, with Morgenroth leading the way by going 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and two runs scored. Kobelt's four RBI were a game-high, while four Ripon players registered two hits apiece. Reetz suffered the loss in relief, allowing five runs on seven hits and striking out two in 3.1 innings of work.

The Red Hawks won't have much time to dwell on the losses, as they'll travel to Cornell College on Sunday. That doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m. in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Those games can be seen live at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/, while LiveStats are also available at that link.