RIPON, Wis. -- Ripon dropped a high-scoring opener in Wednesday's doubleheader, falling 20-13 to Lawrence at Francis Field before game two was suspended due to darkness.

The Red Hawks showed plenty of fight at the plate, racking up 19 hits and 13 runs, but couldn't keep pace with Lawrence's explosive offense. After falling behind 2-0 early, Ripon answered in the second inning with RBI production from freshman Nolan Hollander (Crystal Lake, Ill., Crystal Lake Central) and aggressive baserunning to even things up.

Lawrence broke the game open in the third, plating five runs, but Ripon responded right back with three of their own, highlighted by RBI hits from freshman Raidan Shibayama (Honolulu, Hawaii, Punahou School) and senior Alex Pankratz (Waupaca, Wis., Waupaca HS). The back-and-forth continued briefly, with Ripon trailing just 10-6 after four innings.

However, Lawrence's bats stayed hot, piling on eight runs across the fifth and sixth innings to extend the lead. Despite the deficit, Ripon didn't go away quietly. Sophomore Alex Ramus (Appleton, Wis., Appleton North HS) led the offensive charge with a monster performance, going 6-for-6, tying the single game hit record, with four runs scored and three RBIs, including a two-run home run. Hollander added three hits and two RBIs, while Shibayama also contributed three hits and drove in two.

Ripon continued to chip away late, scoring in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, but ultimately couldn't overcome the early damage on the mound.

Game two of the doubleheader was suspended due to darkness and will be resumed at a later date.

Ripon will look to bounce back this Saturday when they travel to Beloit College for a conference doubleheader beginning at 12pm.