CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Ripon College baseball team opened the season up this afternoon with a pair of games in the NCC-Saluki Tournament held at the University of Southern Illinois.

The Red Hawks' late rally in their first game came up short as the University of Dubuque (2-0) claimed a 6-5 win.  Ripon fell 16-5 to North Central College in its second game of the day.

Ripon is back in action tomorrow as it closes out the NCC-Saluki Tournament against DePauw University. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.

Game 1: Ripon 5, Dubuque 6
Trailing 1-0 going into the top of the sixth outfielder Cam Stampfl got things started when he singled to center. He advanced to second when the pitcher's throwing error from Nick Tenny's bunt allowed both runners to reach safely. Brock Warren moved each runner up a base when he grounded out to third for the first out. Infielder Jack Anderson recorded his first two RBIs of the season when he doubled home both Tenny and Stampfl to give Ripon a 2-1 lead.

The Spartans wasted no time in their bottom half of the sixth to tie the game at two off three hits and a walk.

Ripon (0-1) reclaimed the lead in the top of the seventh to make it 3-2 but Dubuque tied the game up again in the bottom of the frame. The Spartans took their second lead of the game when they pushed three runs across in the bottom half of the eighth to make it, 6-3.

The Red Hawks didn't go down without a fight in the top of the ninth as Cormac Madigan singled too short to lead things off. He then moved to second when Stampfl walked.  Tenny's single to center loaded the bases full of Red Hawks with no outs Warren tallied his first RBI of the season when he singled to right to drive home Madigan. Stampfl was able to score off of Anderson's double-play ball to second to make it 6-5 which allowed Tenny to take third. With two outs and the tying run at third, Kaleb Burns was plunked to put runners on the corners before a fly out to right ended the rally.
Anderson finished the game going 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a pair of doubles. He was 1 of 4 Red Hawks to register multiple hits for the game.

Brock got the start on the hill for Ripon as he allowed five hits, one run (earned), and a walk over five innings of work. He fanned four batters in the process.

Game 2: Ripon 5, North Central 16
Ripon (0-2) got on the board in the bottom third to make it a one-run game as they posted two runs on two hits. Michael Sheehy leadoff with a single to right center and then later advanced to third off Madigan singled down the right field line. Madigan then stole second to give the Red Hawks two runners in scoring position. A ground out to short allowed Sheehy to score to make it 3-1 and move Madigan to third on the play. Madigan later scored off a wild pitch to make it 3-2 before the inning came to an end.

North Central (1-0) added to its lead to make it 4-2 in the top of the fourth as it used of a walk, a stolen base, a throwing error, and a sacrifice fly.

With two outs in the bottom of the fourth Red Hawks were able to tie the game at four when outfielder Nathan Sigg singled up the middle to keep the inning alive. The North Central third baseman booted a hard-hit ball by infielder Alex Pankratz, which allowed him to reach first and send Sigg to second. Sigg later came around to score to make it 4-3 when Sheehy singled to right. Pankratz was able to move up to third on the play. Pankratz then scored off Madigan's single to left to tie the game 4-4 before the inning ended.

North Central tacked on runs in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth innings while Ripon added another run in the bottom of the seventh before the game ended in the eighth, 16-5.

Sheehy finished the contest going 3-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI while Madigan went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Reliever Caleb Mammoser took the loss on the mound for Ripon. The freshman scattered six hits over 2.1 innings of work while allowing eight runs.