The Ripon Christian Knights dropped the opening game of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV Baseball semifinals 10-4 at the hands of the Colfax Falcons Tuesday afternoon, forcing a win-or-go-home Game 2 on Thursday at Colfax.

The loss snapped a 17-game win streak for the top-seed Ripon Christian (26-3). The last defeat for the Knights came way back on March 25 to Division V semifinalist and Trans Valley League rival Escalon.

“We picked a really bad time to play our worst game of the season,” Ripon Christian head coach John DeVisser said. “I can’t think of one aspect of the game we did well today, and when you do that at this stage of the season, you aren’t going to win games.”

Colfax (13-14-1) came into the series against the TVL champs as the No. 5 seed after a sixth-place finish in a tough Pioneer Valley League. Wins over Ben Holt College Prep and Argonaut earned the Falcons a shot at a title-game appearance.

Colfax found success offensively early and often, scoring in six of seven innings in the game against a trio of Ripon Christian pitchers. The Falcons manufactured a run in each of the first two frames before sending nine batters to the plate in a five-run third inning to break the game open, 7-0.

The key hit in the rally was a two-run single by junior second baseman Cole Hudson (2-4, two runs, two RBI).

“Credit to them, they are a well-coached team and took advantage of the opportunities they were given in the game,” DeVisser said. “They played our game out there, running all over us and doing the little things right.”

The Falcons were the beneficiaries of six walks by Ripon Christian pitching to go along with four errors committed by the normally solid Knights’ defense. Colfax was able to put pressure on the Knights, as well, pounding out 11 hits and stealing nine bases in the game.

Down 7-0, Ripon Christian battled back for three runs in their half of the third inning. Jack Strickland led off the frame with a walk and advanced to third on two wild pitches before scoring on a fielder’s choice RBI by Ethan Vander Plaats.

Trenton Cloward scored on a throwing error after a Jackson Howell flyout to right to make it 7-2. Back-to-back, two-out doubles from Talen Tameling and Maxx Anderson made it 7-3 bringing Ripon Christian back within striking distance with four innings to play.

“We showed some life and put together a few good at bats there in the middle of the game, but we just didn’t do enough of that to win,” DeVisser said.

Colfax prevented the ever important shut down inning from Ripon Christian pitching by scraping across a run in the fourth. They’d score lone runs in the fifth and seventh innings to complete the upset victory 10-4.

“Today is an example of why coaches are terrified of a one-and-done format,” DeVisser said. “Luckily for us, we had this game here where we still have a chance to get ourselves out of this hole.”

Game 2 of the three-game semifinal series will take place on Thursday at Colfax. If Ripon Christian evens the series, it will set up a winner-take-all rubber match on Friday at Ripon Christian with a spot in the championship game on the line.

“We feel good about the pitching we have left, but they are set up good themselves after the way things went today,” DeVisser said. “We’ll need to go up there and get a win and come home and piece it together fighting and clawing on Friday.”