'Like a 16-round heavyweight fight': Ripon Christian baseball loses championship game

Two heavyweights entered Islander Field in Lathrop with their eyes set on the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 6 baseball championship.

No. 2 seed Leroy Greene Academy and No. 4 seed Ripon Christian duked it out in a slugfest that would bring every fan in attendance to the edge of their seats.

“It felt like a 16-round heavyweight fight,” said John DeVisser, Ripon Christian baseball’s head coach. “It was just throwing punches and eventually someone is gonna get bloody at the end. Unfortunately, today it was us.”

The higher-seeded Lions took the final blow snagging a 12-11 victory over the Knights making them back-to-back D6 champions. Here are the key takeaways from the momentous finals matchup that ended in heartbreak for Ripon Christian.

Taking the first punch

The Knights came out the gates swinging and getting on base with the first pitch of the game was senior Grant Sonke. From there, they ran their typical offense, stealing second, bunting to advance the runner, and getting clutch hits that would turn into RBIs.

By mid-way of the first inning, they racked up a four-run lead with senior Luke Crivello leading the charge with a two RBI single and a run. Crivello didn’t stop there though. The senior pitcher opened the game up on the mound just as locked in holding the Lions scoreless for three innings straight.

“We knew we had to have a big first inning,” Crivello said. “I told them to give me a lead and I’ll try to do my best for y’all. They’re a good team and Leroy can really hit so we knew we had to have a big first inning to get all the momentum.”

There was no denying the Ripon Christian’s momentum through the first four innings. The Knights student section brought the noise and the chants relishing in their team's now 5-0 lead at that point. Along with Crivello, seniors Sonke, David Koolhaas and Kayden Anderson led their offense.

Sonke finished with three runs, three stolen bases, and a hit while Koolhaas reeled in two runs and a hit. Anderson finished with two runs, two hits and a stolen base. Crivello had the teams’ hottest bats hitting an in-the-park home run and racking up a team-high three RBIs.

“I’m proud of these guys they came out fast and Luke came out really good on the mound to start things,” DeVisser said. “We got some key hits and put up a crooked number and that’s exactly what the plan was today.”

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Don’t count the Lions out

Down by five runs at the midway point of the fourth inning, Leroy Greene Academy could feel the blue banner slipping from its grasp. That didn’t stop them from digging deep, starting with holding the Knights scoreless for two innings in a row thanks to senior Korey Ramson.

Ramson took over on the mound for the Lions and gave way for a molten shift midway through the game. He struck out a total of nine batters giving the Sacramento crowd something to cheer for before the real show began.

The senior followed that up with an RBI double in the fourth inning giving his team their first run of the game. He would continue to be a driving force for the Lions finishing the night with a team-high three runs, four hits, three RBIs, and two stolen bases.

“We knew they were gonna punch us we just had to respond you know, just weather that storm,” said Jesse Russell, Leroy Greene Academy’s baseball head coach. “Just stay within ourselves and just keep competing. Everything we do is compete, compete, compete and that’s what these boys did.”

With Ramson leading the charge, the Lions clawed their way back into the game tying the game up 5-5 at the bottom of the fifth inning. The Knights answered back in the following inning with a five-run inning to go back up by five but it still wasn’t enough. Leroy Greene Academy responded once more with a seven-run inning of their own to go up 12-10 at the bottom of the sixth.

Ripon Christian notched another run at the top of the seventh inning and with two outs Crivello was its last hope at tying the game up. He smacked the ball deep into left field for a pop fly out ending the game and the Knights' chance at a comeback.

“I was pumped up and I wanted to come through for the guys and I apologized to my team for not coming through,” Crivello said. “It sucks. I wish it could’ve ended on a different note but these guys are in good hands next year.”

The Knights end the 2023-24 season as SJS Division 6 runner-ups, the Southern Athletic League champs, and with a 22-9 overall record.

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Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at sbelt@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: SJS Slugfest: RC baseball falls to Leroy Greene in Division 6 finals