The Culver-Stockton College baseball team opened the 2024 season with a split of its season-opening doubleheader at Bethel University in McKenzie, Penn., Friday afternoon.

Anthony Ribes allow one hit over six innings as the Wildcats claimed the opener 6-4. In the nightcap, the Wildcats fell behind by five runs and couldn't quite catch up in an 11-8 setback at Wildcat Park.

In the opener, Ribes didn't allow Bethel much in earning the season-opening victory on the bump. The only hit Ribes allowed was a leadoff double to Bethel's Ivan Vega in the second inning. Ribes walked four, hit two batters and struck out two before being lifted after six innings and 87 pitches.

The Wildcats jumped out in from in the top of the first inning when Ryan Osso led off with a double, advanced to.third on a wild pitch and score on a groundout by Noble Oxford.

After Bethel tied the game in the second inning, C-SC exploded for five runs on four hits and an error in the sixth inning.

Oxford led off with a walk and Jaison Andujar reached on an error to put the first two batters on base. Jordan Scott followed with a single to score Oxford and Tristan Many walked to load the bases.

Jackson Day greeted reliever Tristian Seputis with a two-run double to plate Andujar and Scott with Many advancing to third. Andrew Herrick followed with a RBI single and Bryan Barreto grounded into a double play to score Day to account for the five runs.

Bethel plated three runs on two hits and an error with two outs off of reliever Davin Meier in the bottom of the seven inning to account for the final run count. 

Six different players recorded hits for the Wildcats, who had six hits in the game. Six different players also scored runs for the Wildcats. 

In the nightcap, the Wildcats fell behind 7-1 after four innings before rallying with four runs in the fifth and a single run in the sixth to make things interesting.

Meny collected two hits and scored two runs while Barreto also garnered two hits and had two runs batted in. Andujar turned in the big blow with a three-run homer in the Wildcats four-run fifth inning. 

Bethel plated four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to extend its lead to 11-6 before a RBI double by Barreto and a passed ball scored two Wildcats in the seventh inning to account for hate final tally.

The Wildcats (1-1) and Bethel complete the four game series with another doubleheader Saturday. The first game is slated to begin at 12 p.m.