LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Ripon's softball team opened their 2018 conference season with a pair of losses Tuesday, nearly pulling off a comeback victory in game one, before losing 3-2 on a walk-off hit by the Foresters. The Red Hawks then built a six-run first inning lead in the second game, but ended up losing 13-6.

The day's first game was a pitcher's duel that saw a scoreless tie entering the sixth inning. Lake Forest (12-6, 2-0 MWC) would score the game's first runs in the bottom of the sixth, plating a pair of runs on a double-steal and a sac fly.

Down to their final out in the top of the seventh, Ripon (6-14, 0-2 MWC) rallied with back-to-back hits. After a double by Brooke Bauer put runners on second and third, Camryn Hamilton brought both runners in on a single up the middle to tie the score at two. After Lexi Reetz struck out the first Lake Forest batter in the bottom of the seventh, the Foresters drew a walk and stole second, before a single through the right side ended the game.

Ripon finished the game with six hits, with Reetz, Bauer, and Hamilton each recording two base knocks. Reetz (5-5) allowed three earned runs on seven hits, while striking out six in her eighth complete game of the season.

The day's second game couldn't have started much better for the Red Hawks, scoring six runs on five hits in the top of the first, which saw the first three batters reach safely. Bauer singled through the left side to drive in the game's first run, while Julia Sanchez and Tene Robinson would later score on a throwing error by Lake Forest. Jessica Kobelt added an RBI single, while she and Teara Morgenroth each scored on a wild pitch in the big inning.

Lake Forest got back in the game with a four-run second inning, scoring on an error and an RBI double, while also scoring on a two-run single down the right field line. The Foresters took their first lead of the game one inning later, scoring two runs on a single up the middle, and the go-ahead run on a single by the very next batter. Lake Forest added three runs in the fourth, two in the fifth, and one in the sixth to cap the scoring.

Ripon finished with eight hits in the game, with two apiece coming from Bauer and Micaela Encarnacion. Bauer also walked twice to reach base on all four of her trips to the plate.

The Red Hawks will try to get back on the winning track on Saturday when they'll travel to Beloit College for a doubleheader, beginning at 1 p.m. Those games will be played in Beloit, Wis. and can be seen live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/#live.