RIPON, Wis. -- Ripon jumped out to an early lead but couldn't hold off Illinois College, falling 13-3 in the series finale on Sunday afternoon.

The Red Hawks wasted no time getting on the board, plating three runs in the first inning. Senior Kyler Hickman (Tracy, Calif., Merrill F. West HS) sparked the rally, scoring on an RBI single from junior Crete Slattery (Lake Geneva, Wis., Badger HS). Freshman Payton Nackers (Land O Lakes, Fla., Land O Lakes HS) followed with an RBI double down the left field line to bring in senior Alex Pankratz (Waupaca, Wis., Waupaca HS), and freshman Nolan Hollander (Crystal Lake, Ill., Crystal Lake Central) capped the inning with a groundout that scored Slattery for a quick 3-0 advantage.

Slattery led the offense with a 2-for-4 performance and an RBI, while Nackers added a double and a run driven in. Senior Jack Anderson (Oconomowoc, Wis., Oconomowoc HS) also recorded a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4, and junior Owen Gerhardt (Greenville, Wis., Fox Valley Lutheran HS) reached base three times with a hit and two walks while swiping a bag.

On the mound, sophomore Ryan Splitt (Bolingbrook, Ill., Bolingbrook HS) took the loss, working four innings with two strikeouts. Freshman Zach Le Mieux (Suamico, Wis., Sacramento City College) provided a solid stretch out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit and no earned runs over three innings while striking out two.

After the strong opening frame, Ripon was limited offensively the rest of the way, collecting just four hits over the final eight innings.

Ripon will look to bounce back on Tuesday, April 21, when it hosts Carthage at 3:00pm.