The Ridgefield Raptors “Rocked the RORC” and earned the West Coast League’s first playoff spot and south division first-half title with a 10-3 victory over the Portland Pickles on Wednesday, July 5, at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreational Complex.
The Raptors were led on the mound by pitcher Camden Orem from Lower Columbia College. Orem went for five innings striking out three and giving up five hits and two runs.
With the strong performance on the mound at the plate, the Raptors provided plenty of offensive support and gave the relievers a comfortable 8-2 lead after Orem’s pitching performance.
Sawyer Parkin from the University of Washington came in for two innings of relief and allowed just one hit while recording one strikeout in his two frames. Cale Mathison from The Master’s University took to the mound in the eighth and threw for one and a third innings, striking out two and walking three. Pressley Monteforte from Phoenix College came in for the final two-thirds of the ninth inning and recorded a game-ending strikeout, clinching the Raptors the south division first-half title.
Jake Tsukada from the University of Portland led the Ridgfield offense going 3-for-4 with two singles, a double and an RBI.
“Well, Jake (Tsukada) has been a return guy for us and he was a big part of the glue of the team last year that helped us get to the playoffs and get to the division championship game,” Jason Krohn, director of baseball and game day operations for the Ridgefield Raptors, said. “So we know what we’ve got with Camden (Orem). We knew we were getting a great player from a great program up the road at Lower Columbia and we know that guy cares if we win or lose, which you hope is the case when you’re playing in a big game like this. So he went out there, laid it out for us. It was the difference.”
In the bottom of the second, right fielder Nick Seamons from Lewis-Clark State College reached first base on an error by the Pickles. The error was followed immediately by a two-run blast over the fence by shortstop Corey Nunez from the University of California Santa Barbara for his first home run of his West Coast League season. The Raptors gained a 2-1 lead after two innings.
The Pickles would even out the score after the top half of the third 2-2, but another explosive at-bat allowed the Raptors to regain the lead. Jack Salmon from Golden West College cracked a no-doubt three-run homerun over right field to go ahead 5-2 after the conclusion of the third inning.
The Raptors kept on going until they reached 10 runs in the seventh with aggressive base running. In the fifth inning, Reiss Calvin from U.C.S.B. recorded an RBI single to go up 7-2. Tsukada roped a line-drive to left center while Calvin stole second in a hit-and-run. Calvin scored from first and Tsukada reached second for an RBI double.
With the playoff spot already secured and a whole second half of the season to play, Ridgefield will be able to focus on player development.
“Hopefully it means just really focusing on what these guys come here for, which is player development and you know, getting more guys into more games, more reps for everybody to go around,” Krohn said after the Raptors secured the south division first half title. “When you put yourself in a position where you’re the number one seed in the playoffs at the end now, you’re just building to that time keeping guys healthy, keeping guys happy, keeping guys developing a great season.”
The Raptors will be holding their Pink Lemonade promo night and jersey auction on Friday, July 14, as they play the Yakima Valley Pippins with gates opening at 5:35 p.m. and first pitch slated for 6:35 p.m.
For more information, schedule and tickets, visit ridgefieldrap tors.com/.
