RIPON — Ripon Christian started its 2012 campaign 0-5-1.

On Tuesday, they celebrated the program’s first-ever conference title.

In a makeup game with Mariposa, RC rallied late to stun the Bears 4-3 in dramatic fashion and force a two-way share for the Southern League crown.

The series opener took place back on March 14, the first day of the SL season. Mariposa (12-2, 15-5-1 overall), the two-time reigning champion, won, 12-6.

Ripon Christian (12-2, 13-9-1) has come a long way since. The Knights began the season shorthanded with several players still on the basketball team.

“We were playing with seven or eight guys out of position for the first seven or eight games,” Ripon Christian coach John DeVisser said. “Give credit to the guys for staying mentally tough. It can become a drag when you’re 0-6. You could start believing that you’re a bad team, but they never believed they were a bad team and they proved it.”

It was an especially sweet win for DeVisser and seniors Colby DeVries and Kalvin Prins. Two years ago, DeVries and Prins were sophomores on the Knights team that had a chance to win a piece of the Trans-Valley League title on the final game of the regular season but lost to powerhouse Escalon.

Both players pitched in Tuesday’s contest. DeVries struck out six in 4 1/3 innings, and Prins earned the win.

With the defense picking up their pitchers with big moments throughout, Prins took it upon himself to clinch the win. Mariposa had the tying and go-ahead runs on base with two outs, but Prins fired three straight strikes by James Palmer to end it.

“That was one of the best feelings,” Prins said. “I had everything going on in my head, and for that last batter I just cleared my head and did what I had to do.”

Ripon Christian took the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth.

Dominic Nelson led off with a double to deep left after working the count full, and Prins was hit by the next pitch.

That was when DeVisser called on Michael Myers to pinch hit. The freshman showed bunt on three straight pitches that went for balls. Surprisingly, he didn’t stand idly for a possible four-pitch walk. Myers instead bunted and nearly beat the throw to first, but the job was done.

“We needed to get that down,” DeVisser said of the gutsy call. “I was not willing to go to one strike and have only one chance to get a bunt down. We were actually bunting for a hit. He almost got it there, but he did a good job of getting the runners over.”

Josh English didn’t waste any time to come up with the deciding swing. He took reliever Josh Collins’ first-pitch fastball and sent it to shallow right-center field for a two-run knock.

“I treated it like any other at-bat — just go in there, have an approach and execute,” English said.

Defense certainly helped win this championship, and freshman second baseman Danny Vander Molen was on a lot of the game’s biggest plays.

In the fourth inning, he limited Jimmy Neri to a double after he drove it to deep right. Outfielder Dustin Van Vliet relayed it to Vander Molen, who gunned down Neri at third.

Vander Molen then started an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play in the fifth when Mariposa loaded the bases with one out. In the bottom half, Vander Molen did some damage with his bat, driving home English with a single up the middle to tie the game at 2-2.

“There is no game too big for Danny,” DeVisser said. “He doesn’t get wide-eyed, glossy-eyed or star crossed, he loves competing and you can see it. That’s refreshing as a coach to see.”

Both teams scored a run in the first inning.

Ian Merzswinski doubled with two outs and plated Mariposa’s first run on Cody Stitt’s single. Ripon Christian answered with a double steal that scored Chris Saenz.

The Knights were 5 for 5 on steal attempts.

“They did a nice job of taking away our running game today, but when it’s a one-run game like this you have to take more chances than you normally would,” DeVisser said. “That 90 feet could mean the game.

“I don’t think there was a thing offensively that I put down that the guys didn’t execute today. That’s what won us the game today.”

After the game, a coin flip at home plate decided which team would represent the SL as its No. 1 seed. Mariposa won the toss, meaning Ripon Christian opens the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI playoffs with Central Valley California League No. 2 seed Forest Lake Christian at Galt Community Park May 17.

“This is something these kids will always remember,” DeVisser said. “But we’re not done yet.”