Raptors completed the sweep of Edmonton this week at the RORC
Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com
The Ridgefield Raptors have to be feeling good as they hit the road Friday for the first time this baseball season.
Winning makes any road trip a lot easier.
The Raptors concluded a homestand that featured eight games in eight days at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex on Thursday.
The Raptors won on opening night — a non-league game to open the Columbia Cup competition with rival Cowlitz Black Bears — on June 1.
They opened West Coast League play with a three-game series against perennial power Corvallis, losing all three.
While things did not go their way on the scoreboard, the weekend series did provide more evidence of the community’s support for the Raptors. Gus Farah, the team’s general manager, said the three-game series broke attendance records for the franchise.
Ridgefield, and Clark County, are coming out to the ballpark.
The Raptors played another non-league game Monday, falling to the Redmond Dukes, then returned to WCL play on Tuesday.
That’s when the Raptors got on a roll.
Jake Tsukada and Julian Nunez each drew bases-loaded walks in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie and then win the game. Yes, a walk-off walk for the first WCL win of the year for the Raptors.
Pitchers Blake Hammond, Logan Saloman, and Nate Wenzel combined for a shutout Wednesday, leading the Raptors to a 6-0 victory. Saloman and Wenzel threw five hitless innings in relief.
Allen Allanson had a two-run single to highlight a three-run eighth inning for the Raptors on Thursday. Ridgefield would prevail 4-3.
The Raptors will be on the road this weekend, taking on the Walla Walla Sweets for a three-game series. And after playing 11 games in 11 days, the team will get its first off day on Monday. The Raptors play at the Portland Pickles during the week next week. They will return to the RORC for a series against Cowlitz on June 16.
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