With only two seniors, one of whom is not yet eligible, Ripon Christian continues to find ways to keep its early-season hot streak going.

On Friday, the Knights completed a two-game sweep of reigning Trans Valley League champion Hughson with a 6-5 comeback win that ended with a bang — Tyler Wadlow’s two-run, walk-off double in the eighth inning.

“I know we’re young, but it doesn’t matter,” Ripon Christian coach John De Visser said. “I don’t care about that. The maturity level of this group is unbelievable.”

The Knights (4-0 TVL, 9-1 overall) had reasons to get discouraged throughout.

They left five base runners stranded in the first two innings, committed two errors that aided Hughson’s four-run rally in the fourth and allowed the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth when No. 9 batter Logan Ramirez narrowly beat out throws on three separate occasions.

They also rolled into an inning-ending double play in the third. In the fourth, the Huskies (1-3, 4-9) perfectly executed a 9-6-5 relay for the final out, as Jack Strickland tried to extend his base hit to a triple.

“That’s a heck of a baseball program right there,” De Visser said. “They out-executed us and really took it to us in that fourth inning. We couldn’t let things unravel when we had some errors. Things could have went south. Last year, it goes south, and that four runs turns into nine and we never pick the momentum back up offensively.

“It was a four-run inning, but we were able to stop it there, and we were able to stop it until the eighth.”

Wadlow, who has consistently come up big in late-game situations, of late, forced the extra inning after leading off the seventh with a double, stealing third and scoring on a sacrifice fly from Talen Tameling.

Hughson quickly responded with a series of bang-bang plays on the base paths.

Ramirez led off the Hughson half of the eighth with a bunt single, then stole second despite a great throw from senior catcher Maxx Anderson.

Landon Petersen advanced Ramirez to third with a sacrifice bunt, setting up Isaac Lupercio’s opportunity for the go-ahead RBI. Lupercio did the job with a sacrifice fly to center fielder Stadtler Postma, who nearly threw out Ramirez at home plate. The throw to Anderson was slightly high, forcing the catcher to leap up to grab it before coming back down with it for the tag.

“We had a close one at second that didn’t go our way, and a terrific throw by Stadtler from about 250 feet away that was maybe six inches too high for our catcher to stay on the ground,” De Visser said. “Credit to them, they sent it when they needed to send it, and they made the play. You just tip your cap and move on.”

Move on they did.

Jack De Jong sparked the winning rally with one out when he was hit by a 0-2 pitch. Anderson followed with a single to left, and after a pop-out to left field, Wadlow stepped to the plate for another heroic moment.

“I was really nervous,” Wadlow said. “My approach wasn’t really to hit the curveball there, but it just hung.”

Wadlow attacked the first offering from Hughson reliever Karsen Moore, driving it to deep right field where it was nearly caught by Noah Ocegueda. The outfielder quickly retrieved the ball and flung it back into the infield, but not before De Jong and Anderson had crossed the plate for the tying and game-winning runs.

Wadlow finished 3 for 5 and is on a seven-game hitting streak after starting the season 0 for 10.

“He didn’t let it get to him,” De Visser said of Wadlow’s slow start. “He’s letting the ball travel, and in a situation with guys on the pillows to win the game, he went and hunted the pitch he could handle. Give credit to the right fielder; he almost caught that stinking thing.”

Like Ripon Christian, Hughson missed opportunities throughout to get more runs on the board, leaving 11 runners on base. The Huskies still outhit RC 14-8, getting two knocks apiece from Ben de Clerq (2 for 4, run), Lupercio (2 for 4, RBI), Petersen (2 for 4), Ocequeda (2 for 4, run, RBI) and Ramirez (2 for 4, run, RBI). Tate Silveira contributed an RBI double.

Postma went 2 for 5 with an RBI double for Ripon Christian. Ethan Vander Plaats and De Jong each scored twice.

“I think we’re doing well, and our bats are just now starting to come around,” Wadlow said. “We just have to keep it going.”

The team gets a roster boost next week in time for its first-place showdown with Escalon (4-0, 11-2), which visits on Tuesday. Jackson Howell gains eligibility after sitting out per Sac-Joaquin Section transfer rules. The versatile senior arrived from Big Valley Christian, where he was a three-year varsity standout.

“We have to clean some stuff up on Monday, because we’re going to get into another game like this,” De Visser said. “There are going to be some tight games in the TVL. Escalon next week is going to be really tough.”