WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - The Ripon College baseball team opened their 2017 season Saturday afternoon with an 8-2 loss to UW-Platteville at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational.

Ripon (0-1) jumped out to an early lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning, which saw the first two runners reach on a walk and hit by pitch, respectively. Those runners both advanced on a balk and would later score on back-to-back sac flies by Isiah Ramos and Josh Oswald.

That lead lasted until the sixth inning when UW-Platteville (2-1) scored two unearned runs with two outs, with both coming on a double by Taylor Christopher. The Pioneers took the lead the following inning when they scored four runs on three hits, with the big blow coming on a two-run triple to left centerfield. UW-P scored two more runs in the ninth on a two-run home run by Max Meitzler.

Ripon finished the game with five hits, with two apiece coming from Oswald and Riley Erickson, and the other coming off the bat of Nick Taranto. All-Conference pitcher Drew Slade appeared to be in mid-season form on the mound, hurling six innings without allowing an earned run. Slade gave up five hits, while striking out seven and walking just one batter.

UW-Platteville finished with 13 hits, with four of those coming from Jim Pavlik. Kyle Reinhart added three hits, while scoring three runs and driving in two more. Riley Vandenberg (2-0) picked up the win in relief, allowing two hits in 3.2 innings of scoreless ball.

The Red Hawks will be back on the field Sunday afternoon for a doubleheader against Rowan University. The first game of that twinbill will begin at 2:45 Eastern Time in Winter Haven, Fla., with LiveStats available for both games at http://www.sidearmstats.com/rowan/baseball/.