MEQUON, Wis. - Ripon's baseball team got out to an early lead Sunday afternoon, before holding on for a 3-2 victory against Concordia (Wis.). The Red Hawks also out-hit Concordia by a 10-6 margin.

Entering the second inning in a scoreless tie, Ripon (2-8) got on the board on a two-out double by Keegan Johnston, which scored Kyle Rogers and Tyler Nelson for the game's first lead. Concordia (9-6) cut that lead in half in the bottom of the third, scoring on an RBI single after leading the inning off with a triple.

Ripon got that run back in the top of the fourth when Nelson scored his second run of the game on a single to shortstop by Eric Hietpas, who finished the day with a game-high three hits from the leadoff spot. Concordia pushed across one more run in the fifth, but it was not enough, as Ripon's pitching and defense shut down the Falcons in the final four innings, which saw Concordia record just one hit.

Austin Fox (1-2) earned his first collegiate victory, pitching one inning of relief, allowing two hits and striking out two, without allowing an earned run. Brian Brown pitched the game's final four innings to record his first career save, allowing zero runs on just one hit and striking out one without issuing a walk. Nelson, Rogers, and Nick Taranto each finished with two hits for the Red Hawks.

Ripon will try to use this momentum on Thursday in their 2018 home opener, as they'll host Marian (Wis.) in a single game at 3:30 p.m. That will also mark the first home webcast in program history. The game can be seen live, with LiveStats also available at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.