Ripon Christian High used one big inning to propel past visiting Millennium in a non-league affair Monday, 10-4.

“Even when we were down we kept competing,” said Knights assistant coach Steve Vander Molen.

He was filling in for head coach John De Visser, who missed the preseason game because of important family matters.

RC (2-1-1) trailed 2-1 to the Falcons going into the bottom of the third inning.

The Knights held an early 1-0 lead.

They took advantage of a string of wild pitches by Millennium (2-6) of the Central California Athletic Alliance in their half of the third, tying the game at 2-2 while leaving the bases juiced with runners.

That set the table for first baseman Joseph DeBruyn, who blasted a bases-clearing double to center.

Cole Gemmell and Drake Nelson then drew consecutive walks, loading the bases once again.

Nolan Lingley plated DeBruyn with a single to left and Ian Vrieling delivered home Gemmell with a sacrifice fly.

Ahead 7-2, RC added a run in the fourth. Caleb Terpstra, who had a one-out single, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a base hit by Declan Van Vuren.

The Falcons got two of those runs back in the fifth thanks to Josiah Joseph’s manufactured run — he stole second following a lead-off walk, advancing to third on a wild pitch, and scoring on a fielder’s choice — and Ed Perez’s RBI single.

The Knights added their final two runs in the sixth.

Dale Fisher had a one-out single, scoring on Terpstra’s double to left. After Van Vuren was struck by a pitch, DeBruyn laced an RBI single.

Vrieling, who came on in relief in the third, was the winning pitcher. Willem Hoekstra recorded the final two outs in the seventh.

DeBruyn had three hits with four RBI. Terpstra and Nolan Lingley collected two hits and an RBI each.

To contact reporter Vince Rembulat, e-mail vrembulat@mantecabulletin.com