GALESBURG, Ill. - After playing just three games in the past 21 days due to inclement weather, Ripon's baseball team was back in action on Saturday, playing in the first day of the 2018 Midwest Conference Baseball Crossover. Ripon lost their first game of the Crossover to Illinois College by a score of 11-5, before losing the second game 10-7 to Grinnell.

In the day's first game, Illinois College (13-9, 4-3 MWC) jumped on the scoreboard early with three runs in the top of the first and three more in the second. Ripon scored thier first run in the bottom of the third on a sac fly off the bat of Nick Taranto, but Illinois College got that run back in the fourth on an RBI single.

The Red Hawks cut into that lead with two runs in the fourth, scoring on an RBI single by Tyler Nelson, who would later score on an error. Illinois College's lead was cut to three runs in the fifth when Josh Oswald scored on a sac fly by Keegan Johnston, but the Blueboys put the game away with a four-run seventh, which saw them record six hits. Ripon scored once more on another sac fly in the seventh, but that wasn't enough.

Ripon finished with 10 hits, with Hector Aguinaga leading the way with a 3-for-4 performance. Michael Barnes and Riley Erickson each added two hits, while Oswald scored a pair of runs for the Red Hawks.

In their second game of the day, Ripon (4-14, 1-3 MWC) scored first, plating a run in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Taranto. Grinnell (12-14, 9-4) then took the lead with three runs in the second and one more in the top of the third, but a five-run third inning put Ripon in front again. That big inning was highlighted by a two-run single by Kyle Peterson, an RBI double by Oswald, and an RBI single from Aguinaga. The other run that inning scored on a passed ball.

Grinnell then tied the score at six with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth, but Ripon re-took the lead in the seventh on a sac fly by Aguinaga. Ripon brought that one-run lead into the ninth, but Grinnell scored four runs on four hits to take the lead and shut out the Red Hawks in the bottom of the final frame to secure the comeback win.

Ripon finished with 14 hits, led by three apiece from Taranto and Oswald. Nelson and Peterson each finished with two base knocks. Drew Slade started and struck out five batters in his six innings of work.

The Red Hawks will try to redeem themselves on Sunday when they'll play the second and final day of the MWC Crossover against the MWC South schools. They are scheduled to play at Monmouth and at Knox at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively.